


The Speed of War

by Moon_for_moon



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Achilles!Len, Alternate Universe - Ancient Greece, Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Briseis!Barry, Character Death, Creep!Thawn, Eventual Smut, Helen!Leo, Hurt/confort, Kidnapping, Len and Leo are twins, Lewis Snart’s A+ parenting, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Paris!Ray, War, Whump!Barry, protective!Len, troy au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2020-02-29 23:57:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18788887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_for_moon/pseuds/Moon_for_moon
Summary: After Lewis Snart, King of the Rogue’s Island, makes the choice to reignite the war with Central Island, Len is set on bringing the city to its knees. His loyalty lies with his land and no other.But what happens when he is left in charge of a beautiful priest captured during the raid of Athena’s temple?What happens when the young servant of the Gods starts opening his heart and eyes to the wrongness of war, helping him realize there is still hope and love left in the world and making him question everything he was once so certain about?Torn between his loyalty to his home, family and heart, Len must make a decision. But time is running out and he must choose who he lies with before everything burns to the ground.A.K.A.The Troy AU (that I asked myself for)





	1. Chapter I

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings!  
> Violence

The fire burned softly in the stone chimney, making orange shadows dance against the walls. The lovers laid still for a few minutes, catching their breath and bathing in the afterglow of their affection, the bright flames as only witnesses to their previous activity. 

"Come with me.." One of the men whispered, lightly brushing his lips over the other's jaw. "This doesn't have to be goodbye, you can escape this prison you call home and come back to Central with me.. We can be together, without the sea or your father between us." 

The other rolled over, wrapping his arms around his lover and pulling him close. "You know I can't.." he apologized, "He would be furious. He would kill you if he ever got to us." He gently stroked his thumb over the other's eyebrow. "It's too dangerous." He planted a soft kiss on the man's lips as an apology. 

"What if he never caught us? Central is one of the most powerful islands of the sea. Even if he tried to get you back, he couldn't. You'd finally be safe, away from all this violence." He countered, pushing his argument forward. 

A small chuckle escaped into the darkness. "Who would have thought? The prince of the Rogue's Island falling for the enemy.." 

"We're not enemies anymore, Leo. Your father finally signed the treaty. The war is over." He rested his head against the prince's shoulder, feeling its warm and familiar feel. 

"I know." Leo sighed, cradling his lover against his chest. "Being with you has truly been amazing, Ray. A gift from the gods. And I don't want to lose that, but-" 

"No more buts, Leo. Your father is a monster. He doesn't care about you. If you stay any longer you'll end up married off to another island to strengthen an alliance. Now that the war is over, your father has no more distractions." He pleaded, propping himself up on his arm to stare at his partner with begging eyes. "Once the arrangements are done, it'll be too late. You'll be gone forever and only the gods know when or if we will ever meet again." 

The room fell quiet. The flames reflecting the despair in the two's eyes. The silence was heavy, full of sorrow and tragedy. 

"Okay.." Leo murmured. Ray stared in disbelief. "Okay?" He repeated, just to be certain he'd understood correctly. Leo nodded, a shy smile appearing on his face. "I will go back to Central with you." 

Ray dropped down on Leo, pressing their lips together and letting all his love flow through the sweet embrace. 

• • • • •

*two days later* 

Len hissed as the sword came into contact with his side, jumping back to avoid the next swing. "Easy!" He yelled, lowering his sword and bringing his hand to the injury, applying pressure to the cut. Mick chuckled, putting his sword away and crossing his arms. "Not my fault you're this sloppy today." 

Len rolled his eyes and walked towards the fountain of the garden. "I am not sloppy. Just tired. Long night."

He sat down on the edge of the fountain to catch his breath. Mick sat beside him and crossed his arms, smirking. "What was her name this time?" Leo rolled his eyes again. Mick chuckled. "His name? Come on, Snart. I ain't judging." 

Len sighed annoyed. "Not that it's any of your business, but no. I didn't have company last night." 

Mick closed his eyes, letting the hot sun heat him and humming peacefully. "Then what's keeping you up?" 

Len didn't know. He shrugged nonchalantly. "Just a bad feeling." 

As if on cue, a servant appeared from behind the door and shyly walked towards the two soldiers. "General Snart, your father has requested a meeting with you." He looked down, as if he were ready to receive the wrath of Zeus. 

Len threw Mick a side glance and a subtle head tilt, their personal "I'll see you later" code. 

He followed the servant through the halls of the royal palace until they arrived at the doors of the throne room. 

"You're dismissed." He told the servent, who quickly scurried away and disappeared as though he'd never been there. 

Len took a deep breath and pushed the doors open, walking in with a firm pace and a straight spine. The king was there, speaking to Generals Mardon and Scudder. Len stopped a few feet away, waiting for his father to notice him.

After a few minutes, he was finally acknowledged. "Leave us." Lewis ordered the two other men. Len stood still, tense and anxious as to what this was about. The door shut with a loud clank behind him. 

"You wanted to see me-" He was cut off by a hard slap connecting with the side of his face. He stumbled back, caught off guard. It was common knowledge that the king had a short temper but this time Len hadn't done anything. At least that he knew about. 

Another blow sent him to the floor. He brought his hand to his mouth and wiped the blood away, not uttering a single word. 

"Tell me, son. Have you seen your brother today?" It was a trap, a rhetorical question obviously but Len had to answer. 

"No, father." He responded, keeping his voice submissive and clear of any emotion. "I haven't." 

The king turned away, walking toward his throne before stopping. "Do you know where he is?" Another trap. 

"No. I haven't seen him since the party you had organized to celebrate the truss with Central Island, two days ago." 

The king nodded. "And you wouldn't have happened to hear anything about him boarding a ship belonging to our dear friends from Central and sailing away in the middle of the night, now would you?" 

Len stared mute. Leo was gone? His brother was reckless and impulsive but surely he would not have run away. Especially now that the tension between the two islands had finally gone down. 

He slowly pushed himself up to his feet and looked down. "No. I had no idea." 

The room stayed silent. Len felt anxious, not knowing what his father was going to do next. He certainly wasn't expecting a dark smile to appear on the king's face, followed by a small chuckle, which quickly turned into a full on fit of laughter. Len watched confused as his father's mood went from anger to hilarity in under a minute. 

"What's so funny?" He dared ask. Lewis looked at him as if he'd forgotten his son was there. 

"This is the best thing to have ever happened to our kingdom." He said as only explanation. He walked to the doors and opened them, catching the servants' attention. "Inform all generals that a meeting is to take place in one hour in the war chamber." The servants bowed and hurried off. 

Lewis turned back to look at his son, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. "Your brother just handed us Central Island." 

 

The war chamber was huge, weapons hung along the walls and a giant round table stood in the middle. Len stayed near the wall, leaning against it and keeping an eye on everyone in the room. The generals had arrived shortly and the meeting had started the instant they'd all sat down. 

"As you all know, the war with Central ended due to tensions forming with National and Keystone. In their opinion, the war was our fault and useless. And you know how these people think." Lewis spat. "They don't see the value of a war for riches. Central has gold. We want it. The question was, how were we going to attack without having National and Keystone turn on us? And as you know, we couldn't find a solution fast enough and so we put an end to the war." 

The room stayed silent until general Mardon spoke up. "Nothing's changed. We were forced to make peace to preserve our reputation with the islands. If we attack again, even Starling will turn on us." 

Lewis chuckled softly. "Oh you're wrong about that. You see, if there's one thing these Islands care about, it's privacy. They see themselves as professionals and if there is one thing they will not do, it's meddle in other's family's businesses. Had we continued the war for economical reasons, they would have sided with Central. But now.. now we have another motive." 

The generals stared at each other, each hoping for an explanation. The king continued. "Two days ago, my son was kidnapped by a general from Central during the night of the banquet. The motifs are yet unknown but facts remain facts. What one may consider a choice made by my son, I choose to call an abduction. What more noble reason to attack then to save one's own blood?" A smile curled at Lewis' lips. "Central took our prince. We will take their gold in exchange." 

Len stared at his father. The plan was genius. Cruel and manipulative but absolutely genius. The other Islands would not turn on them if they attacked with the pretext of getting an heir to the throne back. Len would have almost been proud of his father if he wasn't using his son as a tool. Again. 

Len knew his brother. Leo was so innocent. He'd had no idea how many consequences would follow his choice. 

But gold was gold and when the time came, it would be him on the throne. The more gold in his chests, the better. Lewis may be evil but the war would, without any doubt, fill the crates of a kingdom soon to be his. 

He left the wall and silently exited the room while his father worked out the rest of the details with the other generals. He was headed back to the gardens when someone called his name. 

"Lenny!" He turned around and saw Lisa running towards him. She looked beautiful. Her white dress, gold jewelry and eyeliner made her look like Aphrodite herself. 

"Lenny, I heard about Leo! What's happening? Is it true? Did he really leave?" Len looked around. A few servants had stopped and were, very unsubtly, eavesdropping. He turned back to Lisa and placed an arm around her shoulder, gently pulling her in the garden's direction. "Not here."

They sat by the fountain and Lisa pressed the matter again, repeating her earlier questions. "Lenny, what's going on?" She asked, her forehead creasing under her worry. 

Len sighed. Announcing bad news was not his favorite hobby. "Leo boarded a ship belonging to a Central Island General. Father is using his unannounced departure as a reason to start the war again." 

Lisa's eyes narrowed. "Leo's gone? And the war is about to be redeclared?!" She looked around in disbelief. "This can't be happening.. Finally we were at peace.. No! Lenny, this isn't happening!" 

"Hey, hey.." Len soothed her, wrapping his arms around his sister and pulling her to his chest. "It's okay.. it's all gonna be okay." He murmured in her ear. "Father's reign will be over in a few years and we're next in line. This war will come at a cost but it won't be up to us to pay it. This will help us." 

Lisa rolled her eyes, a gesture normally associated with the brothers and, as many people would put it, "not very ladylike". 

"What about Leo?" 

"I'll make sure nothing happens to him. I promise." 

Lisa gave him an unconvinced and angry look. "Our brother's life could be at risk. I will not pay this useless war in his blood." 

"Lisa, I promise. I will get him back here safe and sound." 

She sighed and passed her hand through her hair. "Be careful, Lenny. I won't lose both my brothers." 

"You won't." She wouldn't. Len swore it to himself. No matter what at least one of the twins would return to the Rogue's Island. 

 

The ships departed a month later. Every last one of them. The entire fleet. 

Len stared at the docks moving away, further and further. He'd known them since he was a child. He use to play hide and seek with Leo. He remembered the countless times he'd played there, running, hiding, laughing. How Lisa would get upset when they told her about them because she wasn't allowed out of the castle until she was twelve. 

He turned his gaze back to the sea. Hundreds of ships were navigating around them. Each one carrying soldiers ready to spill blood for their Island. 

Len closed his eyes. Leo would have never wanted this to happen. He'd only wanted freedom. Len longed for that same freedom. A life far away from his father's anger and violence. A life full of hope and color. One with someone perhaps.. 

Len quickly shook that thought from his mind. He was a soldier, a killer, a general. There was no place in his heart for anything else but his duty to serve his homeland. This war would make him rich. Nothing would happen to Leo. He couldn't say as much for everyone else in Central. 

The ships sailed for five days before the Island appeared on the horizon. It was early in the morning, the sun having just barely risen. It was all an attack strategy. The night had masked their approach and the guards were tired, having just woken up. 

The sound of the alarm blared through the island. The commotion was visible from where they were. People were rushing to get to safety inside the wall cerclant the city. 

That wall had been the reason for their previous failure. Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, had blessed Central with her protection, helping maintain the wall around her protégée to keep it safe from invaders. 

Central's structure was like no other. Most of the city was inside the wall but a few villages had been built on its outskirts. 

Len's ship was the first to hit shore. He jumped into the water, shield up and sword shed. The arrows started flying. Central's guards had finally arrived. They were standing at the top of the beach, firing their weapons at them. 

His unit quickly regrouped, forming one big shield and advancing up the hill. Len felt an arrow land just at his feet, mere inches from him. The attacks got stronger as they approached their ennemies. 

"Split!" Len shouted. The groupe broke. Every soldier running at the opponent and slaughtering whoever wasn't fast enough to get away. The other ships had reached shore and soldiers were quickly invading the beach. 

The Rogues had been preparing for this for over a month. Central's guardians didn't stand a chance. 

The sand quickly painted itself red as the units deployed and killed anyone who wasn't smart enough to retreat. It was a blood bath. 

The Central soldiers' backup arrived but the Rogues had already progressed through the beach and were gaining ground faster than the opponent could counter. 

Len ran through the men, swinging his sword around and clearing the way for the others to attack. It was automatic at this point. Every step, every move, every glance perfectly calculated. There was a reason he and his unit had been sent in first. They were the best and today they proved it once again. 

Soon enough, the beach was theirs. Central was getting weaker, pulling their guards back into the fortress before they were massacred. The rogues spread like wildfire, invading the villages and killing anyone who fought back. 

But Len wasn't interested in the towns. They held very little gold. On the other hand, at the top of the mountain, outside of the city's protective wall, stood Athena's sacred temple. It was rumored to hold the most beautiful riches and jewels in the world. 

"How stupid." Len thought. He knew how faith could drive people to act recklessly or stupidly but this? Leaving their treasures outside of the city, even if less than a mile away from the wall, was the most insane and illogical decision one could make. The people of Central had the reputation of being extremely religious, putting their beliefs above all else. They probably considered hiding their offerings to the goddess inside the wall as a sign of disrespect. Not that Len was bothered by the choice. It made that much easier to steal anything away. 

When they finally reached the temple, they were able to enter it without any issues. The guards were all easily defeated and sent to their death. The Rogues spilled into the sacred house, taking everything that looked valuable and destroying anything that didn't. 

Apart from the guards, the temple was deserted, all the priests and priestesses having fled before they arrived. 

Len looked up at the giant statue of marbre that stood high against the wall opposite to the entrance. Athena, goddess of war and intelligence. Where was she now? 

He walked through the halls, chaos loose around him. The soldiers were yelling, laughing, high on the violence and spilt blood. He didn't feel like joining them, a small feeling of shame whispering in the back of his mind. This wasn't right. 

But his sense of justice wasn't his priority at the moment. Athena's treasure was. It had quite the reputation and he intended on checking the rumors out himself. 

The halls got a little quieter, the sound of his men fading into the background. There it was. The door to his goal. He entered without any hesitation and shut the door behind himself. No need to make it easier for other guards to find his treasure. He expected to have first pick. 

In the room stood another statue of the goddess. And at her feet, gold, jewels, diamonds, millions worth. He slowly walked forward, fascinated by the riches before him. 

A small sound caught his attention. Jerking around, he only saw a flash of Scarlett before a sword came down on him. He jumped out of the way and swung his sword forward, blocking his attacker's next move. He kicked him in the stomach which sent him back a few steps. The man looked up and growled. 

"This temple is blessed by the goddess' hand! Your impurity is not welcome here!" 

Len chuckled and rolled his eyes, taking a step forward and sending another strike against his opponent. "And who might you be?" He asked, easily avoiding and blocking all of the attacks. 

The man took more steps back, desperately trying to fight and avoid getting his stomach split open. "I am a servant of the goddess! And I will not let you soil this sanctuary under my guard!" He ran forward and took another strong swing at Len. 

Len moved aside and brought his sword down on the other's weapon, mere inches from his hand. The man yelped and dropped his sword under the force of the impact. 

"You will not dirty this sacred house with your greedy hearts!"

Len stepped forward, his sword risen and his eyes focused on the priest. "For a slave of the gods, you certainly have the soul of a warrior." 

The man's eyes widened in offense. "I am no slave! I chose this life as Athena's defender and I will carry out my task to my grave." 

Len rolled his eyes. How could anyone about to die still believe in any gods? "Well.. I am truly honored to speak to someone with such a title. Gotta say, defender of the gods is quite the rank." 

He was amused. Normally, people ran, screamed and cried when confronted to him. This one was different. 

"Now let me tell you mine. General of second order, son of King Lewis and next in line for the great throne of the Rogues' kingdom. I've fought this war before and I will fight it again. I've killed more men then there are gods in the Olympus, all in the name of victory." 

The priest's eyes looked up at the statue, praying for strength and courage. 

"So tell me, defender of the gods, who's got the higher title?" 

The man closed his eyes, his lips moving as a silent prayer. "I am Athena's servant. And her honor I will serve." He repeated before throwing himself forward to attack again. 

Len's first instinct would have been to drive his sword through his enemy's stomach before he would even be able to reach him but a voice, a feeling, whispered into his mind. 

Not yet.

Len went with the voice and threw his sword aside instead of stabbing it forward. He dove under the other's attempted punch and gripped the man's tunic, yanking him back and throwing him to the floor. 

He saw the fear and panic in the priest's eyes. How ironic. The person who'd sold his life to a useless cause suddenly afraid of losing it. 

"Athena's wrath will follow you to Hades' kingdom!" 

Len looked down at the man, running through his options. "And my wrath.. will come down on your city long before your god's reaches me." 

He knelt down and stared deep into the ocean of green before him. He should kill him. Slit his throat, take the treasure and go back to the camp. 

Not yet.

The priest suddenly threw his fist at him, attempting to punch him in the jaw. 

Smart.

The jaw was a weak spot in the human's body. He was impressed. Who would've thought Central trained their priests and priestesses for combat? 

The man was good. But he was better. 

He easily caught the flying fist and crashed his own into the side of the man's head. A groan of pain accompanied Athena's servant's descent into unconsciousness. 

Len stood up, letting the man's wrist fall beside him. He should kill him. He knew he should. But he was so young, so hopeful. He reminded him of Leo.

Len picked his sword up and looked back at the man. 

It would be so easy..

He took a step forward. 

Just one small movement..

Another step. 

And this stranger would never wake up. 

He raised his sword. 

The man's peaceful face was hauntingly beautiful. His smooth figures and lean neck made him look so innocent, so pure, so convinced that he could protect his home. 

He lowered his sword. 

Not unless necessary.

He grabbed a pouch of gold and a few pieces of jewelry from the treasure and exited the room, leaving the stranger behind. 

 

Len got back to the camp in the early evening. The sun was setting, coloring the sky in a peaceful orange. Central had launched another attack during the afternoon in an attempt to fight back and he'd been called to the front ranks again. 

Soldiers were sitting, laughing, drinking already. Len could've forgotten they were at war if the swords and armures of his brothers weren't splashed in blood. 

"Snart! Hey wait up!" Ugh.. what was it now? He turned around and crossed his arms as General Scudder caught up to him. 

"What?" He bit out coldly. This had better be important. 

"Have you gone back to your tent since this morning?" The man asked with a wide grin. 

Len started walking again with a hasted pace, in an attempt to lose Scudder and to get to his tent and find out why the question. 

"What did you do?" He asked menacingly. One more bad surprise today and he was going to stab someone. Preferably Scudder. 

"We got you something." The other teased in response. 

Len reached his tent, closely followed by the other man who seemed to be holding back his laughter and excitement, and yanked the entrance curtain aside before storming in. 

A familiar silhouette draped in a scarlett tunic was sitting in the dark, hands bound to a wooden poll holding the tent up. 

"We found him in the temple and thought you might enjoy some.. company." Scudder laughed. 

The prisoner let out a small whimper and pulled at the ropes holding him, desperately trying to get free. 

Len turned around slowly, controlling his rage and retaining the need to punch the General in the nose. "You thought wrong." He spat, disgust and anger spilling from his voice. 

Scudder crossed his arms over his chest and glared. "Hey! That's not a very grateful way of saying 'thank you'." 

Oh, Len was going to kill someone. 

"Get out." 

Scudder hesitated, throwing a glance at the captive figure, who shrunk back as if to make himself as invisible and small as possible. 

"GET OUT!" Len yelled. 

The general quickly retreated as fast as he could, disappearing into a nearby group. 

Len yanked the curtain shut and turned his upper body to look at the man. He was trembling, knees folded to his chest and head hidden away from his view. 

Len turned back around, resting his head against a poll and letting out a deep breath. 

"Please don't hurt me." 

He almost missed it. That small sentence carrying the terror of a thousand men. 

He turned around slowly, keeping his hands in the prisoner's view. The fierce warrior from earlier was gone, replaced by a scared boy no older than Lisa. 

"What's your name?" He asked, voice as unthreatening as possible. 

The man stayed completely immobile his head still turned away from Len. Silence stretched through the room and Len waited, not rushing the captive to answer. 

"What's your name?" He repeated a little more insistant.

The priest turned his head to look at him. His green eyes were filled with sadness and fear. 

Len felt uneasy, a particularly unpleasant feeling wrapping around his throat and weighing in his stomach. 

Guilt. 

"Barry."

Len focused on those green eyes again. 

"My name is Barry."


	2. Chapter II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the war continues, everyone is stuck adapting to the new environment.   
> In Central, fingers start pointing, looking for someone to blame for all this mess.   
> Barry and Len exchange points of view, showing the other a world they never thought possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Lovelies! I’m back with a new chapter! Please enjoy!

Len sat down on the bed, which was essentially the same as he had at home, only difference being the mattress was replaced by soft fur. 

"Barry." Len drawled, testing the name, feeling the way it moved through this mouth. 

The man finally turned his head, meeting Len's gaze with his deep green eyes. 

"Tell me, Barry, are you afraid?" 

Barry didn't answer and lowered his gaze to the floor. A few seconds later, his gaze met Len's again. 

"Should I be?" 

He held Len's piercing blue stare, challenging the general's authority and seeing who would look away first. 

Len didn't answer the question, a small smile appearing on his lips. He chuckled softly. There he was. The warrior Len had met before Athena's statue. 

Len stood up and Barry immediately tensed, his arms pulling at the restraints again and his breathing halting. 

Len walked towards him and knelt beside Barry. The priest clenched his hands into fists, his eyes wide with fear and contained adrenaline trapped in his body. 

Len took Barry's bound wrist in hand and the priest's suddenly lashed out, legs kicking the empty air and back hitting the hard poll. A classic 'fight or flight' response. 

"No! Don't you dare touch me!" 

Len pulled his hand back and leant back to look into Barry's eyes. The man's forehead was shining with a thin sheet of sweat and his eyes were wild. 

"Don’t. Please.." 

Len held his pleading gaze for a few moments, understanding what Barry thought was happening. He moved back to where he'd been, taking Barry's wrist in hand again to keep it still and sliced through the ropes with his dagger. 

Barry jerked forward and scrambled away from Len until his back hit the end of the small room. 

"Stay away from me!" 

Len raised his hands. "I don't do that, Barry. Never have and most certainly never will. Not to you or anyone else. Ever." 

"Athena will make you pay for your offenses against her!" 

Len rolled his eyes. Again with the religious banter. “Then what is she waiting for?" 

"The right time to strike." Barry threw back, raising to his feet and quickly readjusting his tunic. 

"You know what I think?" Len asked, moving to the small table and pouring himself a glass of wine. "I think your goddess is afraid of me." 

"Athena fears no one! And certainly not a savage such as yourself!"

Len rolled his eyes and sipped at his drink. "I don't know, Barry.. It feels a lot like your Goddess has abandoned you. I mean look around. Your friends probably think you're dead and had you ended up with anyone else, you would be in a very different position right now." He turned and gave the priest a look. "Literally." 

Barry's face scrunched in disgust. He opened his mouth to reply but stopped himself. What was there to say?

Len's eyes focused on the wine again. He took another sip and paused for a few moments. 

"Did they hurt you?" 

Barry crossed an arm over his abdomen and frowned. "What?" 

The general set his glass down and leaned against one of the wooden polls. 

"Did they hurt you?" He repeated slowly, over-articulating every word. It sounded like he was asking a baby to say 'dada'. 

The priest clenched his jaw and turned away, anger burning under his skin at the tone. "No more than you did." He said silently. His eyes sank to the floor again and he wrapped his arms tighter around his chest, as if to protect himself. 

Len looked away. He would have liked to think it was in annoyance or frustrating, but he man before him seemed so lost, so vulnerable.. Under all that attitude and courage was a truly terrified boy who had probably never even seen a corpse before today. 

"Feel free to take the floor." The General finally stated, starting to pull off his armor. 

Barry turned back to reply but shut his mouth and let out a strangled sound the moment his eyes fell on Len. The man was completely naked. His bare ass in full view. 

Len looked behind himself and laughed at the look on the priest's face. 

"What?" He asked. "Never seen someone else’s party bits before?" 

Barry jerked around, slapping his hands over his eyes and turning nearly as red as his tunic. 

“Or just never seen a man’s?”

"Priests and priestesses are banned from marriage, children and.. relations with others." He quickly said, tripping over his tongue as he struggled to get the sentence out. 

"Hmm.." Len nodded. "Virgin then." 

Barry raised his eyebrows in offense and turned back to protest. "That is a very personal question!" He blushed again and looked away. 

"Yep. Definitely a virgin."

Barry rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. He was angry. At this man for showing such disrespect, himself for getting captured and his friends and family for not being here trying to get him back. 

Who was he kidding? Joe probably thought he was dead by now.. No one was coming for him, he realized. His anger turned to deep sadness. He was going to die here. And without even getting to say goodbye..

Len watched as the priest's body language changed. He seemed lonely and lost. Len almost felt sorry for him. The general quickly snapped out of it and pulled on some more comfortable clothes to sleep in. 

"Here." 

Barry turned around and just barely caught the blanket thrown at him. Len crawled onto his bed and laid on his back, resting his head on his folded arms and staring at Barry. 

The priest looked down at the blanket, then back up at Len. 

"What am I.." 

His question trailed off. He didn't really know what to even say. 

"I don't care just don't disturb me during the night. 

"How do I know you won't hurt me if I fall asleep?" 

Len sighed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling and keeping them there. 

"If I wanted to hurt you," He emphasized on the word 'hurt', knowing exactly what Barry had meant. "I would have done it already." 

Barry nodded and turned his head away. 

"How do you know I won't kill you in your sleep?" 

Len smiled and huffed. "If you kill me, you'll be just as dead. I don't think you've realized it yet, Barry, but I'm pretty much the only reason you're still alive." 

Barry glared at him murderously. "Am I supposed to thank you?" 

Len smirked at winked at him. "Who doesn't like a thank you?" 

He rolled onto his side and shut his eyes. He heard Barry shuffle around and slightly pull the curtain open, peaking outside before closing it again and moving as far away from him as possible. Even if he’d tried to run, there would have been no where to do. The guards on night shift would have stopped him before he’d even gotten half way to outside of the camp. 

Len knew Barry would refuse to sleep. That would be giving the last bit of control he had over the situation up. But he also knew the priest was smart. If Barry came anywhere near him while he slept, he would wake up immediately. And they both knew neither of them wanted to deal with that action’s consequence right now. 

 

"This is all his fault!" Eddie shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Leo. "And yours!" He spat at Ray. 

Leo looked down in shame but Ray fought back. "The war would have been redeclared with it without my actions! King Snart was hunting for an excuse to attack us. Sooner rather than later, he would have found one. The only difference is Leo is here and not shipped off to Hermes knows where!"

"Do you realize the situation we're in because of you?! Men are dead! Athena's temple is soiled! We are under siege! All because of your selfishness!" 

King West finally spoke up, bringing calm to the room again. 

"Enough! We must focus on our ennemies! Not turn on each other! The war is here and whose fault it is is not important right now! This is a crisis! But Central fought once and we will fight again! So instead of pointing fingers, how about we come up with an actual plan!" 

No one dared speak up again. The king was right. The war was here and who was at fault didn't change anything. 

"Their camp is set up on the north coast, two miles from the beach and ten from our walls. We could try an attack but if our men found themselves losing they would have no way back. We can not guarantee them a safe return to the city." Eddie stated, still glaring at Ray.

"Then we wait for them to come to us. We'll set up our troupes five miles from the walls and place battle there." 

Leo didn't speak a word the entire meeting, his mind frozen and unable to process the information passing through the room. This was all his fault. How could he have been so stupid? 

He’d been called along to give any possible information on his father’s war techniques but it had quickly proven useless. Len had made sure to keep him as far away from the King’s evil as possible. That included wars. 

A hand gently took intertwined its fingers with his, giving him a sympathetic squeeze and pulling him out of his secondary state. 

"Leo? Are you okay?" 

Leo looked around, the room was almost empty, nearly all the generals having left while he had zoned out. He shook his head slowly, keeping his gaze fixated on the ground. He wanted to throw up. 

"Come on.." 

He let himself be taken back to Ray's room, still not uttering a word. 

Ray sat him down on the edge of the bed and knelt down in front of him, taking his hands in his. 

"This isn't your fault, Leo." 

The prince shook his head and smiled sadly. 

"Yes, it is. People are dead because of me. People I didn't even know.. people with families, Ray. People fighting because of my choice!" 

"That's a lie and you know it! Your father was going to find an excuse to attack no matter what! I told you already. The difference is only of, what, a couple months?" 

Leo looked at him lost. He didn't know what to think anymore. "I don't know what to do, Ray.." 

Ray stood up and kissed his hands softly. "For now, all we can do is fight back." 

"You're putting your life on the line every time you're out there. And it's because of me! I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you." 

Ray sat down next to him and pulled his lover to his chest. "Leo, there's nothing we can do anymore. I promise I will be careful on the field but while we're together I want you to know you have nothing to fear. We fought this war once and we will fight it again. Only this time will be the last.”

 

Len woke up feeling well rested. He sat up on the bed and looked around. The priest was sleeping on the floor, laying on his side. He must have lost his battle to sleep and dozed off while sitting against one of the wooden poles. 

Len threw the blankets off himself and got up. He couldn't help the little smile that appeared on his lips when he looked back at Barry. 

That floor probably wasn't very comfortable though. Len looked back at his bed and sighed. It wasn't like he was going to be here using it during the day anyway. 

Slowly, he lifted the priest in his arms, finding him surprisingly light. Barry stirred but didn't wake. The kid must be exhausted. Who knew how long ago he'd passed out. It could've been an hour only, not even. 

Barry hummed quietly when his back sunk down on the bed. Len watched for his neck, always keeping a hand over the back of his head until the priest was completely laid into the furs. 

The general was about to get up and starts his morning routine but something stopped him. Barry had opened his eyes and was staring at him with sleepy gaze. Len almost wanted to give him a smile but stopped himself before he could. Prisoner, not conquest, he remembered. 

Barry adverted his eyes, looking aside instead of directly into the general's. Len had been right. The kid was absolutely exhausted. 

"Get some rest. No one's going to hurt you."

Len surprised himself at the tone of his voice. It was one he'd only ever used for Lisa. The one he'd use to comfort her and tell her everything would be alright. 

The priest nodded slowly and closed his eyes again, his head lolling aside as he slipped back into unconsciousness. 

Len observed him for a few minutes. He couldn't quite explain it. But it felt like a fresh vibe of energy and freshness was emanating from the boy. Almost like lightning. 

Beautiful, graceful, powerful. 

Len shook himself out of his daze and got up, reminding himself of his mission on the island. He dressed himself in his armor, ate a few fruits and exited the tent, stopping at the curtain and gazing one last time at the peaceful figure before exiting. 

"General Snart!" 

Len turned around, expecting one of his legionaries, but it was General Thawn he was faced with. Len had never liked the guy, too smug for his taste. 

He didn't offer him the respect of an answer and simply waited for a valid reason as to why the man was talking to him. 

"The King wishes to see you." Thawn told him, a small smile playing on his face. 

Again, Len didn't reply, just brushed past him and started in the royal tent's direction. 

"I'd hurry if I were you!" Thawn called out again. "He seems in a bad mood." 

Yeah. That made two of them now. 

 

A small feeling of dread collected in his stomach when he reached the tent. He had no idea what this was about. No, that was wrong. He knew, and that terrified him. 

"There you are! Take a seat, I've been waiting." 

Len sat and remained silent. 

"The attacks are going well. My plan is unfolding perfectly." 

"Then why am I here?" Len asked. 

"You have seven days to get your brother back here." Lewis told him coldly. 

Len stared, nearly facepalming at the stupidity of that statement. "And how the hell am I supposed to do that?" Bringing Leo home has always been the plan, but if it was now also Lewis', then there was a problem. 

"I don't care. Just get it done." 

Len clenched his fists. His father was being capricious. There was no way to get Leo out, unless he came willingly. "What if I can't?" 

"Then say goodbye to Lisa." 

Len's blood froze. Lewis would be capable of hurting Lisa to punish Len. He already had. Thousands of times. 

"What are you going to do to Leo?" 

Lewis' face scrunched in distaste at the name, as if it were cursed and dirty. "Nothing worse than what could happen to your sister. That's all you need to know." 

 

The battles were bloody, just as they'd been the day before. Central had prepared for them this time and were not backing down as easily. Horses were part of the event this time around as well, Central's soldiers riding through the troupes and slaughtering as many men as possible. 

Len heard a horse behind himself and quickly turned, pulling his sword out of a soldier's chest and shallowly slicing the animal's. The horse bucked and threw its rider off before escaping through the battle. 

Len gripped his sword, walking over to the man, who'd rolled up and had his weapon drawn, a golden helmet hiding his face. 

Len smiled, the rush of endorphins pumping through his body. The man swung first, his sword colliding with Len's. 

Len grinned. Only a few men dared stand their ground against him, until now, only Barry and a few others. They danced ruthlessly, neither giving up. With a swift motion, Len sliced the air, connecting his sword with the man's arm. A groan of pain was heard but Len didn't wait again. Swinging his sword again, it collided with the man's helmet, knocking it off with a metallic clang. Len narrowed his eyes as he recognized the man before him. 

The man who'd taken his brother away. 

It was his fault Leo was being blamed for the war. His fault his twin was caught in the middle of blood and violence Len had so long tried to keep him away from. 

But through the anger and blame burned a deeper feeling, dark and cold and yet so painful. Jealousy. 

No matter what Len told himself, Leo had chosen Ray over him. And that knowledge hurt more than any wound he'd suffered. 

Obviously, Len knew why his brother had done what he'd done. But still, the feeling remained, stinging like salt on a fresh wound. 

Ray just barely got out of the way before Len's sword came down again, struggling to steady himself and carrying on the fight. 

But with one bad arm, the golden soldier was quickly losing ground, getting slower and more tired. With a particularly hard hit, Len destabilized him enough to send him to the ground, raising his sword to finish him. 

But he stopped, hesitation holding his hand back, Leo’s face appearing in his mind. The man who’d stolen his brother deserved to die. But did his brother’s love? The general was a curse of freedom and war, having offered Leo a chance at happiness at much too high a cost of pain. 

Another war cry caught Len's attention. He turned in time to counter Eddie's attack and managed to fight the general off. When he turned back around, Ray was gone. 

Through the soldiers and swinging metals, he caught a glimpse of the cursed golden helmet as it disappeared through the crowd.

 

As the afternoon neared to an end, the troupes made their way back to the camp. Len got to his tent and nearly collapsed. He was exhausted. He groaned when his eyes fell on Barry, remembering he still had quite a responsibility towards the priest. 

The young man was sitting against a pole and shifted slightly when the general entered. They stayed in silence for a few seconds, both wondering who would speak. Len adverted his gaze first and walked over to the water bucket. He removed his chest armor and splashed water over his torso, washing the sweat and sand away. His back burned. Someone had somehow managed to get in a hit. It was just a scratch but it needed cleaning. 

Barry was watching him intensely, mouth slightly agape. Len kept splashing the dirt away, finally turning and breaking the tension between them with something that could ressemble a bark. 

"What?" His tone was snappier than he would've wanted. Barry scratched his arm, looking away. 

"Your scars." 

Len sighed, closing his eyes and dropping his head. Yes. He had scars. Both brought by his battles and his father. He wasn't ashamed of them, quite the opposite. They showed his strength and courage. They were a symbol of power. 

"They come with experience, what do you want me to say? Each one taught me a valuable lesson." 

"And you got them from invading Islands like mine, correct?" 

Len shrugged nonchalantly. "Not all of them. Some are from disobedience or failure to correct my ways." 

"What do you mean?" Barry pushed, curiosity peaking through his voice. 

Len sighed. He was starting to get annoyed by the man's questions. "I mean my father's reputation as a terrible king expands to his parenting techniques." 

Barry starred at him dumbfound, his brows creased with an unreadable expression. Len crossed his left arm over his chest. Why was the priest looking at him like that? It felt.. uncomfortable? Not in the judging way, no, Len didn't care about that. More in a empathetic way. He didn't like it. He was a warrior, not a victime. 

Suddenly he wasn't as proud anymore. Every scar feeling itchy and almost painful. Flashes of his past screamed in the back of his mind. From the very first slap to the most recent cut, louder and louder until he could nearly feel his father’s fist crashing into his stomach. 

"Stop starring at me!" Barry flinched back, shuddering lightly. Len turned away and splashed some more water on himself, his harsh movements betraying his state of mind. 

"No one should ever suffer at the hands of their leader." Barry whispered, still a little shocked by the thought of a parent inflicting pain on their own blood. 

"Yeah well life's a little more than getting down on your knees and praying to a Goddess." Len bit out aggressively, starring ahead of himself. He grabbed a cloth and soaked it. The shallow cut on his back felt like rocks had been scraped into it. He tried to wipe at it, growing frustrated the more he tried. It couldn't have been in a worse place, just out of his reach. He bent his arm behind himself, managing to wipe a bit of the blood away before the ache forced his arm back into its normal position. He groaned, clenching his hold on the cloth angrily. It was humiliating. 

Soft fingers brushed against his hand. Len pivoted quicker than he could think and grabbed Barry's wrist before it could come any closer. The priest's expression hardened, as if he were forcing himself to hide his fear and anxiousness at what Len would do next, unsure if his wrist was about to be snapped or released. 

Len starred into those warm green eyes, momentarily getting lost. They were closer to his own icy blues then they'd ever been. He could almost feel Barry's breath as he held his own. 

"The cloth."

Len frowned, confused. "What?" 

Barry's eyes dipped to Len's other hand, the one not currently holding his arm captive. "Give me the cloth." 

Len let go mechanically and handed him the soaked material. Barry moved behind him and slowly wiped the wound, holding back his disgusted comments. He felt the general tense under his fingers but relax after a few moments, letting him clean his back. They stayed in silence, the only sound being the night occasional water droplet hitting the floor. 

"Why do you do it?" 

Len looked over his shoulder, glancing at Barry whose eyes didn't leave his back. "Do what?" 

"War. What pushes you to fight and kill? And for a man who harmed you.." His tone was genuinely confused. Despite what Barry had said about training in the temple, the priest was still much too innocent to be seeing all of this. 

Len thought about his answer, keeping his gaze fixed ahead. "For power. One day the throne will be mine and it will be my responsibility to lead my people. The more ground we gain now, the stronger I will be then."

Barry set the cloth aside, moving back through the tent and going back to his pole. "But what is the cost of power?" 

Len frowned, unsure he'd understood. "What do you mean?" 

“What does it cost?” The priest repeated, frustration detectable in his voice. 

“I don’t understand.” 

"How many of my people have you killed!?" Barry suddenly exploded. "How.. how many of my brothers' lives have you stolen!? Ripped away before their time!? How many more will there be?!" His eyes were filled with anger and sorrow but they held no hate. His voice returned, low and sad. "Who are you to steal away their gift of life? The Gods' gift. And what does it bring you?" His hands were tightly clasped around his knees, knuckles nearly white. His eyes wide with fury and drilling into the ground. "You say power. I say revenge. You think by taking lives you are proving to everyone you are stronger than the monster that marked you. But you don't see." His eyes met Len's once again and the General felt an invisible hand wrap around his throat. "You're worse than him.” 

 

Len felt like someone had just dumped freezing water on him. The words held such violence, such pain, such grief for Central's fallen guardians. 

"How dare you?" Len's defenses slammed up, his walls of ice firmly in place. "How dare you speak to me like that? I am my kingdom's best fighter and you, ‘you’, dare speak to me in that tone! Who do you think you are!" Len shouted. 

"Screw you!" Barry hurled back. 

Len moved his head from side to side furiously, no one had ever dared speak to him that way. No one. 

"I'm warning you. You will not speak to me with that tone-" 

"Or what!" Barry nearly screamed, almost hysterical. He must have lost his mind. "You'll kill me!? Is that what you'll do? Drive your shiny expensive sword through me like you did my brothers?!" He was up in seconds, spreading his arms and leaving his chest and stomach defenseless. "By all means, General of rank two, son of Lewis Snart, next in line for the stupid throne of your murderous kingdom! End me! Drive your sword through my heart and send me in the arms of Athena! Let me join all the brave warriors you so mercilessly slaughtered for your selfish quest!" 

Len didn't move. He'd never expected any this to happen. His arms were limp by his side. 

"Do it!" Barry kept shouting, his voice now broken by raw emotion, a few warm tears escaping his eyes. Len remained completely still, shame burning him alive. 

Barry aggressively wiped his tears away, angry at himself for letting them slip out. "You're a coward. Nothing but a coward whose only purpose in life is violence and cold blooded murder." 

Silence plummeted over the room, fragile as glass and threatening to explode in a million shards again at any second. Barry's shoulders were trembling lightly, his hands as well. He seemed exhausted, drained of all energy after the violent outburst. He sat on the bed, holding his head between his hands. 

"You're right." 

Barry didn't look up. 

"I am a murderer. And I have killed more people than I can count. I will not give you a reason or an excuse. There is none. I can not say I didn't have a choice, that I was forced to commit all those acts but I can tell you this. To all the families of the fallen soldiers, to all the gods of the Olympus, and to you, Barry Allen, I apologize." 

The priest looked up, giving Len an unconvinced glare. "Your words mean nothing." 

"That's true. Words are empty if not accompanied by an act of proof. So while you may not take my word, I will give you change." 

Barry's expression shifted to confusion. "What kind of change?" 

"No more unnecessary deaths." Barry's eyes lit up with hope. "Make no mistake, if placed in a "kill or be killed" situation I will save myself. But no more executions." 

Barry's mouth moved but didn't make a sound until he'd settled on what to say. "Why?" 

Len didn't know. Perhaps the question of what kind of leader he wanted to be? Or because he never wanted anyone to look at him the way he looked at his father. "My reasons are irrelevant. Only the goal counts."

Barry looked shocked but eventually nodded, getting up and holding his arm against his chest. "Athena will remember this." 

 

Leo ran through the halls, losing all acknowledgment of professionalism. Ray had just gotten back from battle and, from what he'd heard, had been injured. He bursted through the doors of the infirmary, his ears immediately attacked by the tortured sounds some of the of the injured soldiers laying in the beds couldn't help but spill. 

So much blood. 

The doctors were running around, tending to everyone as fast as they could, but there were so many.. Such a number of people were wounded and for what?

"Prince Snart," A nurse took his arm. "What are you doing here? We're a little crowded at the moment.” 

Leo tried to focus, tried to blank out the cries of pain and his thrumming pulse. “Ray..! Where-“ 

“He’s right this way.” The nurse guided him towards the back of the room and through a door. When it clicked shut behind him he was left in near deafening silence. A few soldiers were laying down, most asleep. 

Leo got a few curious looks, some of horror which left him feeling guilty. Why were they looking at him like that? 

“Leo?” 

He turned towards the voice and saw Ray laying in a bed. White strips of cloth were wrapped around his arm and a few cuts and scraps decorated his face. 

Leo rushed over, sitting down beside his love and letting his eyes roam over him, making sure he was okay. He wanted to touch, hug, feel the proof that Ray was still alive but every time his hands got close he pulled them back, terrified at the idea of hurting Ray more than he already was. 

“I’m okay, Leo.” Ray gave him a small smile, using his good arm to take pull his lover a little closer. His voice was a little woozy and he didn’t seem completely clear-minded. Maybe he had been given something for the pain. 

“I.. I heard you were hurt. I didn’t know..” Leo tried to speak through the swirling words in his head. “I didn’t know if you were critical or.. if it was just a safety checkup. Ray, I was so worried..” 

The general looked at him, his eyes filled with love, concern and comfort. “I’m okay.” He repeated. 

“You promised you’d be careful.” Leo whispered, cupping Ray’s chin and stroking his jaw with his thumb. 

“And I was.” The man answered, leaning into the soft touch. He closed his eyes for a few moments, bathing in the familiar feel. “I just.. It was an accident. I’m so sorry I scared you. I promise I’ll-“ 

“Get some rest, okay?” Leo’s voice was quiet, not above a whisper. Ray nodded and closed his eyes again, dozing off after a few minutes. 

The prince stared at his love, silent tears escaping his eyes. This couldn’t happen again. The war was taking so much and Ray.. well.. If he lost Ray then there wouldn’t be anything left to lose, now would there. This had gone way too far and needed to end. 

He took a deep breath, fighting back painful tears and placed a soft kiss on the sleeping general’s forehead. 

He knew what he had to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I love emotional roller coasters..)
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please leave your thoughts and comments down below


	3. Chapter III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone has a much needed talk with Iris.  
> Barry tries to do something about his situation.  
> Len’s point of view on war starts changing, rather emotionally violently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many people requested a scene between Thawn and Barry so here it is ❤️ Don’t worry it won’t be the last

The castle was silent, every soldier resting from the battle and getting as much sleep as possible. Only a few patrolling guards were awake, walking in rounds and changing every three hours. 

Iris looked up at the sky from her balcony, enjoying the fresh breeze of the night. She missed Barry. It felt like she was the only one who'd noticed his absence but then again, with everything happening, it was understandable that Joe hadn't yet organized a search party. Even if it was for his adopted son. 

Eddie was fast asleep in the bed behind her, snoring lightly. It was adorable. It made her feel safe. She knew he was there in case anything happened. 

Something moved in the corner of her eye. The princess' gaze snapped to attention, focusing on the movement down below. A hooded figure was walking along the pool and heading towards the gardens. "Barry.." she murmured to herself, hope blooming in her heart. 

She ran out of the room and through the halls until she reached the pool. "Barry!" She called out. It had to be him. Athena had finally answered her prayer. 

The figure pivoted, saw her and ran in the opposite direction, penetrating into the gardens. Okay, so not Barry. Without thinking the young woman gave chase, running into the gardens after the hood. 

She knew these gardens like her own hand. She'd spent thousands of hours wondering through the flowers and trees. She knew every shortcut and secret passage. The stranger didn’t stand a chance at escaping. 

The path the figure was using had a curve just a few feet ahead. Iris ducked into the bush on her right and collided into the hood, tackling them to the floor. 

The figure struggled and tried to push her off. With a swift motion the princess ripped the fabric back and a mix of shock and confusion hit her. 

"Leo.. what?" The prince tried to push her off him again but she held fast. "What the hell!?" 

"You have to let me go!" His soul sounded broken and in agony. “Please, just let me go!”

Iris blinked a few times, trying to understand. "Leo, calm down. Let you go where? What are you talking about?" 

The prince's face twisted into a tortured expression. "I need to go.." He sat up hastily but Iris wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a strong hug. 

That was all it took for him to break. He sobbed into her shoulder, letting his tears flow freely. He tried to speak but his voice kept getting caught in his throat as more cries left his shacking form. 

Iris held him in her arms until he calmed down, softly rocking back and forth. It was what she used to do to Barry before he.. 

Finally Leo's sobs quieted down and his breathing went back to normal, though heavier than usual. 

"Leo-" She started but he answered her question before she could ask it. 

"Ray got hurt today. Because of me." He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'm handing myself over before anyone else dies." 

Iris listened in shock. "Leo.. You can't. What happened to Ray wasn't your fault. He's gonna need you when he wakes up from the pain meds Caitlin gave him. What are we going to tell him?" 

"I don't know.." The prince whispered. "But I can't see him get hurt again. I refuse to be the cause of his death." 

"You think going back will fix this? Leo, look around! Your father didn't cross the sea with an army of soldiers just to take you back. They're here for blood. They're after power. Your sacrifice will be meaningless!" 

"You don't know that!" Leo cried, shrugging away her embrace. "There's a chance this'll work and I'm not going to waste it." 

"Think about Ray!" She cried out, desperately trying to reach the man’s rational part of brain. 

"I AM! Every day! Every hour! Every second he's out there! All the time! I can't sleep! I can't eat! I feel like screaming every time I look at him because I know it might be the last! If he dies.." His voice trailed off, any fight left escaping into the night. "Iris, if he dies it's over for me. I'll have nothing. No home, no family, no one." 

God, how he missed Lisa. And Len. And his old bed. His old life. Fresh tears started falling again. He'd somehow managed to lose everything in less than a week. 

He'd thought of Ray as his future but what would be left of it if he lost him? Ray had saved him, pulled him out of the shell he'd turned into and made him feel alive for the first time in years. 

Len had had Mick, an entire army at his feet and the promise of the throne once Lewis passed. Lisa had her friends, her mother and her animals, a good, although not perfect, life. 

But what had he had? He'd always been the second twin, the accident, the one no one had really expected. Len was the soldier, the strong one, the future heir to the kingdom. Leo had only been a small bonus. When people passed him in the halls they would call him by his brother's name. Len was the default setting, the normal, the one everyone wanted. But not to Ray. 

Leo still remembered the way he’d had looked at him during the first night they'd met. At the celebration for the signing of the treaty. Like he was special. Like he was someone other than Len's twin. Like he was someone..

The rest of the night had gone by in a flash. Drinks, talking, laughing, their hands always "accidentally" brushing against each other and lingering until someone walked by and they swiftly regained their composure. 

He remembered feeling shallow when the party had ended and it was time to say goodbye, like he never wanted the night to end. 

He remembered the knock on his room door and the wave of relief and happiness that'd nearly drowned him when Ray's smile had appeared. 

He remembered the night. Shedding clothes, their bodies fitting so perfectly together, the sweat, the moans. 

Leo felt alive, truly alive, for the first time. Ray had come back every night until the one they'd escaped, promising to never abandon him, to cherish him, to protect him from his father’s wrath, to save him. 

No, it was more than alive. Leo felt loved. The way he knew he deserved. Loved because of who he was, not because of who his father was, not because he was one of the royal twins, but because he was Leo. And not just Len's brother. 

"I need to see him." His voice broke the silence. He couldn’t abandon Ray after everything they’d been through. He couldn’t give up now. 

 

The camp was silent, every soldier resting from the battle and getting as much sleep as possible. Only a few patrolling men were awake, walking in rounds and changing every four hours. 

A shadow flew between the tents, quietly slipping past sleeping tents as if it had never been there. Barry could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He knew what getting caught could mean. Len was fast asleep, hadn't even stirred when he'd opened the curtain and started running. 

He clutched the dagger to his chest, his grip almost painfully numb. Almost. He'd figured the general wouldn't miss it. Or need it if he held his promise and stopped killing. And it was pretty. The blade a shiny silver and the handle dark blue. Small but practical. Maybe he’d give it to Eddie as a gift. No, that wouldn’t be appropriate, now would it?

A shiver ran up the priest's spine. He was almost at the edge of the camp. He could see the dunes he needed to pass in order to be out of view. He made sure to not let his excitement get the best of him. He wasn't free just yet. 

His heart exploded when an audible 'cling' sounded from inside the tent next to him. He stopped. Seconds passed, like honey flowing, thick and slow. No one came out. Barry exhaled slowly and kept going. His body hurt from being so tense, cramps forming in his legs, shoulders and arms. 

"My, my, look what we have here." 

Barry didn't look back, all the tension in his body breaking into a desperate sprint. He would have let out a scream of fear if not for the hand that clamped over his mouth as he was yanked back and his race halted. 

"I don't believe you're allowed to be out of that tent unsupervised." Thawn smirked. "No worries. I'd be more than happy to take you to mine." With a kick, he sent Barry to the ground. "You must be Snart's plaything. I've got to say, you've built quite the reputation around here. Everyone is dying to get a peak or, in my case, a taste of you." 

Barry pushed himself up as quickly as possible and shuffled back, putting a few feet between Thawn and himself. The man was blocking his path to freedom and stalking towards him at a dangerously fast pace. "Stay back!" He barked, holding the dagger in front of himself. 

Thawn nearly burst out laughing when his eyes fell on the small weapon. "Now, now. No need for you to get hurt. Come quietly before you wake up the rest of the camp and I'm forced to share." 

Barry's stomach rolled in disgust and dread. He was seriously regretting having left Snart's tent. "I'm warning you.." he started, unsure of how to finish his sentence. "I'll.. I'll stab you!”

"Keep your voice down." Thawn ordered as if talking to a child. "Don't make me drag you." He tilted his head and looked up as if thinking to himself and looked back at Barry, his eyes shining like those of a hunter about to devour his pray. "Actually, please do." 

Barry ran forward and sliced the air. Thawn ducked under the attack, keeping his hands behind his back and gracefully dodging Barry's stabs, dancing around as if this were the best game he'd played in a while. The priest followed the soldier's movements, adapting his posture to the man's to better try and attack him. 

He moved forward again and Thawn simply stepped aside, sending a hard shove to his back. Barry turned around and slammed his arm forward, the one holding the dagger, aiming for the head. 

Barry gasped in pain when the general caught his wrist and somehow got behind him, brutally pulling his arm up along his back until it would dislocate if it went any further. The dagger fell in Thawn's other hand and he pressed it to the priest's neck, keeping it just half an inch from the smooth skin.

"No! Stop!" Barry panted, his desperation taking over on his pride. “Let me- Ah!" Thawn pulled his arm up a little more, prying a cry of pain out the man. 

"We are going to have so much fun.." Thawn whispered, his mouth suddenly much too close to his ear. Barry held back a noise of disgust when the general buried his nose in his hair and inhaled deeply. 

"Hmm.. You smell like honey.." Thawn noted. "Very expensive honey." A wide grin spread across his face. "You're royalty, aren't you?" 

Barry breathed in deeply, attempting to stay calm. His voice was a little shaky when it came out. "My adoptive father will give you more gold than you could dream of if you return me safe and sound. You could have anything you wanted." 

"Aha.. So we've got a prince on our hands." Thawn stepped forward, starting to move them towards his tent and forcing Barry to walk with him if he wanted to keep his shoulder intact. "I've never tasted royalty before. I wonder if you're as blessed as the people say. You have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy-" 

"Let him go, Thawn." 

Barry gasped in pain again and let out a loud curse through his teeth as Thawn's hold on his wrist tightened. "General Snart, what a pleasant surprise." Barry bit his lip to fight back the pain until it nearly broke when Thawn pivoted to make them face the newcomer. "You wouldn't believe what I found wondering the camp.” 

"Let him go." Len repeated, his voice sharp and cold. He'd been woken up by a bad feeling, something in his gut telling him to wake up. He'd run out of his tent still only half clothed, not taking the time to put a shirt on, and started towards the city, his sword in hand. If Barry escaped, good for him. Len wouldn't chase him through the sand. But the general knew he wouldn't make it out of the camp. The safest place for Barry was with him. If anyone else caught him before he did.. 

Barry turned his head to try and see what kind of facial expression Thawn was currently wearing. Was he intimidated? That would be good, right? That meant he was scared of Len and would let him go. 

He wasn't prepared for the starving eyes and predatory grin that were drilling into the side his face, no doubt imagining things he couldn't even fathom. Barry's breath hitched and his entire body squirmed, his survival instinct kicking in and screaming at him to get away. He felt cold and way too hot, uncomfortable waves of temperature filled with fear and dread washing over him. 

"Let him go or, with Ares as my witness, I will slice your face off and feed it to you!" Len growled. 

Barry squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for his arm to be broken, setting himself for the pain to come. His arms flew forward to break his fall when Thawn violently shoved him away. He scrambled to get up, wincing at the pressure on his arm, and ran towards Len. 

He wasn't expecting a hug and kiss, he'd disobeyed after all, but he was still somewhat surprised when the general immediately moved in front of him, protectively blocking him from Thawn's view, one hand still gripping his sword and the other lightly brushing against Barry's arm, making sure he was there. 

"My dagger." He ordered, staring at the weapon still in Thawn's hand. 

The general rolled his eyes and threw it over. "Maybe pay more attention to your stuff next time." Thawn said. "Don't think I'll be this cooperative again. You know what they say,” he smiled mockingly, “finders keepers.” 

Barry moved closer to Len, cradling his sore arm to his chest. The general didn't look back at him but his hand gave a comforting squeeze, some sort of "it's almost over" maybe? 

"Get back to work, Thawn." Len snarled. 

The man gave a very obviously fake smile and nodded. "I will. Just stop letting distractions run around unsupervised." 

Barry flinched at the word, feeling slightly offended. He wasn't a distraction! He was a fricking prisoner trying to escape. But for now he was just thankful Len had gotten to him in time. 

Thawn glanced behind the other general one last time, winking at Barry before walked away. Barry stayed alert and tense. He didn't know Len well enough to be sure he was safe. The man looked pissed and the younger of them didn't know if he was a part of the reason. 

He wouldn't be surprised if the little hospitality and respect he'd gotten until now were stripped away. But Len wouldn't do that right? Len wouldn't hurt him. He'd promised. 

Barry held his breath until Thawn disappeared from view, letting it out with an embarrassing mess of word vomit. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! You were asleep and.. I.. I didn't.. I wasn't.. I thought I could.. No, forget everything I just said! I was only- I know you're probably pissed at me but let me explain!" 

Len looked at him carefully and Barry's rambling only got worse. He was now gesticulating, trying to explain himself with movements accompanying his nonsense. Len sighed and placed his hand over Barry's mouth. 

The priest looked surprised and, after a few more seconds, his muffled protests died down. He could've easily ripped out of the hold, which wasn't even really a hold, just Len's palm over his mouth. 

"While I find your rambling.. understandable,” he managed to stop before he said ‘adorable’, “it is getting just a little too loud. I don’t want you to wake anyone else.” Barry's eyes glanced around anxiously. "Can I take my hand off?" The priest nodded. Len slowly removed his hand and comfortingly placed it on Barry's shoulder. "Come on.” 

When they reached the tent, Barry remained silent, keeping his gaze low. Len looked him over, searching for signs of injury. 

"I'm not angry at you." He reassured. 

Barry's eyes flew up to meet his. "Oh?" 

"I understand that you're in a difficult situation. It's only human to want to escape. I'm not going to punish you for being human." 

Barry looked very surprised. "But I disobeyed you.." 

Len frowned. "How so?" 

"I left the tent.. I.. I tried to escape when you told me not to." 

"When did I say that?" 

Barry shrugged. "It was implied." 

"No. It wasn't. Not once did I command you to stay put. I advised you to stay here, where it's safe. You didn't disobey me, Barry, you put yourself in danger. And if were going to be angry at you, that would be why." 

"But you are angry.." Barry grumbled. 

"Not at you. At Thawn." 

Barry shifted, scratching his arm and trying to figure out if he should ask his question of not. "Why?" 

It was Len’s turn to shrug. “Because he's not a good man." 

"And do you think you're a good man?" 

Len's eyes snapped to Barry's. "When did this become about me?” 

Barry crossed his arms over his chest. "I'd understood from our previous conversations that you carry the weight of your actions with no shame. You know you're not a hero. You think of yourself as a villain and, much to my disunderstanding, that doesn't bother you. So why does.." he tried to remember the name for a few seconds. "Why does Thawn's behavior disturb you?" 

Len stared at him, mildly annoyed and dubiously defensive. "What do you want me to say?" 

Barry shrugged. "A villain would say that it's because another man tried to take his property. A man trying to be better would say that he doesn't know."

"What's your point?" Len asked drily. He wasn't about to think of Barry as his property but he wasn’t about to think of himself as a man trying to be better either. 

"My point is that I think you don’t want to be a villain anymore." 

That shut Len right up. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. "You don't know what I want." 

"You're right. But your actions speak for you." Barry smiled softly. "It's only a matter of time before you start hearing them too." 

Len planted his sword in the sand with a little more force than necessary. "Go to sleep. You're speaking nonsense."

Barry rolled his eyes at the stubbornness. "Good night, hero." He called sarcastically, going back to his blanket. 

Len stared at him for a few seconds, zoning out unconsciously. His gaze softened for a moment as Barry rolled onto his side, nudging the pillow between his arms and closing his eyes. He couldn’t help the nervous feeling in his stomach. It was ridiculous. He’d faced off against men three times his size without flinching but one adorable yawn from a priest got him all antsy? Absolutely not! 

"Here." 

Barry looked up and let his eyes travel down Len's muscled arm to the dagger held between his fingers. He slowly extended his hand, unsure if this was some kind of test or not. "It's not much, but it might save your life." 

Barry took the weapon, weighing it in his palm. It was the beautiful dagger from earlier. "Since when do you care about my life?" He asked teasingly. 

"I can always take it back." Len said, pretending to reach for it, a small smirk on his lips. 

"No, no! It's fine! Thank you! I'll keep quiet." Barry scrambled, holding the dagger against his chest. Len chuckled softly and Barry beamed, a wide smile on his face. A beautiful smile. God, Len hated the man for being able to make him lose control like that. 

"But really, thank you." Barry said, looking between the weapon and its previous owner nervously. 

Len felt an unfamiliar warmth pooling in his stomach. It was.. pleasant. Yeah.. 

"Get some rest, Barry." Len said, standing up and shacking the feeling off. He just needed a good night sleep and he'd be fine. He was just tired.

 

Not killing was harder than he'd thought it would be. It was something that had been engraved in his mind since he was a little boy. He thought about Barry during the fights, which calmed his impulses more than he would've thought. That smile, this green eyes, the light freckles, his- Oops there was a sword, dodge, dodge, push, don't stab, his adorable laugh.. 

He hated more and more what he was doing. Maybe there was some truth to what Barry had said. He loved the adrenaline, the thrill, the energy fighting brought. But he didn't like killing. Killing was what his father had taught him. He'd never wanted to do it. 

And this.. this entire war was just a question of who could kill the most people. There was no fun, no game or thrill. Just plain murder. And yes, with land came power but he couldn't stop thinking of where he'd gotten that  saying from. It certainly wasn't born from his own logic. It was just something he knew, something repeated to him throughout the years, over and over again, to forge him into a killer and make him believe it was in his best interest. 

Len almost felt nauseous. And this was not the place or the time. All around him blood was being spilled, men were crying out in pain as they croaked because of one man's greed. That was enough for today. 

"Get off!" He turned yelled at one of the horsemen. The soldier jumped off instantly and before he could ask any questions, Len was gone. He rode through the crowd, staring right ahead. Did he always breathe this quickly? He felt like his blood was boiling and he would throw up his heart at any second. His mind went blank. 

He came back online to a worried Barry softly cupping his face. Echos of "look at me", "focus on my voice" and "can you hear me?" were ringing in his ears. He brought his hands up and grasped Barry's wrists, not to pull them away but to make sure they didn't leave. The contact was grounding and was helping slow his racing heart down.

"What happened to me?" He croaked, looking around. He was sitting against the bed, Barry on his knees beside him. His breathing was still abnormal and his limbs were numb. 

"I'm not sure." Barry's voice was soft and comforting. Len leaned into the touch. "I think you had a panic attack." 

Len groaned and winced. "I don't have panic attacks, not anymore." When he was younger, yes. Normally Leo would be there to help with them. But Leo wasn’t here right now. 

"Do you know what caused it?" The question wasn't pressing or pushing. 

Len knew. But how could he explain it? It was a mix of.. so many emotions and thoughts. "I.. I don't know." 

"You don't have to talk about it." Barry's tone stayed calm and grounding. Len met his gaze and tried to give him a smile, which he was pretty sure looked like an awful grimace. He hide his stare down again. 

"I don't want to be a weapon anymore.." He whispered. If the tears hadn’t been beaten out of him for the entirety of his life, he was pretty sure he would’ve started crying. He didn't know what was taking over him but Barry made it so easy to open up. "They lied to me, they manipulated me, since I was a little boy!” His voice carried anger and betrayal. “They used me, brainwashed me.” He looked back up at Barry, who met his heartbroken gaze. “I don't want to be lied to anymore..” 

Barry's hand slid from his jaw to his cheekband he shifted positions to cradle Len's head against his neck. What was he doing? Len was going to kill him for doing this. But he didn't care. The soldier needed help, needed him. 

Len shocked himself more than Barry when he went along with the movement and let Barry wrap his arms around his torso, pulling him into a soft and protective embrace. He closed his eyes and breathed in the tender smell, lightly tickling Barry’s skin when he exhaled. He wrapped his own arms around the younger man’s abdomen and relaxed into the touch. 

The two sat in silence for minutes, neither daring to move first. This was the most physical contact they'd ever had with each other. The most physical contact Len'd had and the most intimate Barry had been with anyone in years. 

"I'll never lie to you.." Barry whispered, stroking Len's back softly. "I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to request scenes, I’ll try to add them in


	4. Chapter IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len tries to adjust to his new vision of war.  
> Leo learns a devastating truth about his brother.  
> Central plans an attack that could ruin their reputation.  
> Len learns Barry’s secret and finds out more about how the man truly feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IIIIIIII’m back with another chapter!!! 
> 
> This one was so great to write. 
> 
> Warning: angst and frustration ahead!

Len didn't go back to the battlefield the next morning. He was about to leave when Barry had stopped him, telling him he was too exhausted to go fight and would only get himself injured or killed. After a few minutes of back and forth, Barry had convinced him to stay. 

A silence stretched between them. Something had changed since yesterday, some sort of click in Len's mind that had left him silent for most of the evening until Barry had managed to coax him into bed. 

"So what do you do for fun?" Barry eventually asked, breaking the little bubble of down spiraling thoughts Len kept having whenever he was alone with his head for too long. 

"Huh?" 

"What do you do for fun?" 

Len thought long and hard about the question. He'd never had much time for hobbies. He was about to answer when Barry added a condition that sent him right back to square one. 

"Anything war or fight related doesn't count." 

Len pouted. He didn't do much of anything. The most approximate answer he could have given was sex but Barry probably wouldn't like that one. 

"What about you?" He flipped the question. 

"Music." Barry answered without hesitation. "And running. I use to run but then I joined Athena's servants and had to stop." 

"Why? What does the Goddess care of your activities?"  To Len it just seemed like unnecessary rules put in place to annoy everyone. 

"It tainted my body and was too time consuming." Barry answered with a shrug. 

"What does that even mean?" Len asked with a frown. 

"I'm not sure. I never really questioned it. It was just easier to do as I was told and avoid having a debate over something so small." 

Well.. that was something they apparently had in common. 

"But you loved running." 

"I did.." Barry looked down with a sad smile. "But hey! I still have music." His grin was back in a flash. 

"What did you do?" Len asked curiously. 

"Oh! Many things. They taught us how to play the lyre and the flute. We use to sing as well." 

Len raised his eyebrows. "Singing, huh?”

"Yeah." Barry looked down slightly embarrassed. 

"Could you show me?"

"Oh no! I.. There aren't even any instruments here, plus I haven't in a while. It would just sound bad." 

Len kept staring at him until he was certain the priest couldn't get any redder. 

“Please?" 

Barry sighed and after a few seconds of silence, during which he managed to calm himself down, beautiful notes started flowing. 

At first it was just a peaceful hum. Barry took a breath and prepared to start singing but a fit of nervous giggles came out instead of any lyrics. "Sorry! I'm sorry!" He took a deep breath and tried again. 

"If the sun stopped shining,   
and the rain stopped falling,   
through grief, death and pain,   
would I still be your beloved?" 

The melody was calm and warm, wrapping around Len like a blanket. 

"If a million moons moons kept me from you,   
if a thousand roads would lead me through,   
if a hundred men were to follow you too,   
when you see me, my darling,   
would you still say I love you?" 

The tune shifted from light to deeply melancholic. Len couldn't stop himself from starring at Barry's lips even if he wanted to. He was completely hypnotized. 

"And you can tell me you need me,   
Promise me you're ready,  
To do what's necessary,  
For us to both be free,  
But a thousand ships would flow through the night,   
Before we found our beautiful delight." 

The song slowed and came to a stop. Barry looked at Len nervously. The song wasn't that original, it had been sung throughout history from mother to child since the dawn of Central. 

Len looked at Barry and said the first thing that came to mind. "Beautiful.." 

Barry blushed and looked away embarrassed. "My mother use to sing me that song before she passed. I'm glad you like it." 

Len nodded slowly. He hadn't been talking about the song. 

Silence stretched again and this time Len accepted it, calling back to mind the lyrics and melody. 

"I need to ask you for a favor." Barry said. His tone was more serious than before but it sounded like he was trying to sound casual. And failing miserably. 

Len nodded, waiting for the ball to drop. 

Barry shook his head and put on a smile. "Never mind, it's not important." He should've kept his mouth shut. It was stupid anyway. And much to risky. 

Len took his hand and waited until Barry met his eyes again. "Tell me." 

Barry bit his lip nervously. This could easily backfire. "When I was taken I was wearing my mother's necklace. It's golden and has a silver pendant at the end. She gave it to me when I was younger and it's the only thing I have left of her." He prayed that if Len accepted his request he wouldn't look too much into the details of the engravings in the metal, he knew whoever had stolen it hadn't, he never would've made it to Len alive otherwise. The general finding out his secret could change everything. 

Len waited for him to continue. "It was taken from me and-" 

"-you want me to get it back." Len finished for him. 

Barry nodded. "I know it's a lot to ask but it would mean the world to me." 

"Would you recognize who took it?" 

Barry's eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. "It was man, brown eyes and hair, beard." 

Len nodded. Mardon then. "I'll be right back." 

"You're going right now?" Barry sounded surprised. 

Len shrugged and started towards the curtain. "Snart," Barry called before he exited. Len turned around and waited. "Thank you." 

The general gave him a small smile. "Call me Len." 

 

Mardon's tent was empty when he reached it. Most of the camp was. He hoped nobody would notice his presence but even if they did and questioned him, he held enough authority to tell them to piss off. 

He pushed the curtain open and entered. The place wasn't exactly tidy. It looked like a storm had just swept through the place. 

Len's years of pickpocketing and stealing from his brother's room came in handy. He immediately found Mardon's hiding spot, dug into the sand just beside the bed. The man had done a piss poor job. He could literally see the little mountain of sand gathered up. 

He pulled out the small chest and opened the lock within a few seconds. He should give Mardon more credit. The chest was filled with various preciouses, all jewelry. 

It only took a minute to fish Barry's necklace out. Len held it in his palm and stocked his thumb over the silver pendant. Something was written on it. He squinted to try and get a better look when the curtain was suddenly jerked open. 

"What are you doing in here?" Mardon's eyes fell on the open jewelry box and, luckily, Len was able to slip the necklace in his pocket before the man saw it. "Are you stealing from me?" 

Len rolled his eyes. "Back off, Mardon." 

"You don't give out orders to me." 

Len was caught a little off guard. He didn't expect Mardon, of all people, to talk back. 

"Since when?"  

The man put on a nasty smirk. "Since rumor has it that you've gone soft. That boy in your tent must have you real distracted. Look around, Snart. The men are talking. Say you rather take the day off than fight for our cause. I'd be careful if I were you. Watch your back." 

Len had him up against the wall in an instant, holding his sword against his throat. "That a threat?" 

Mardon gave him a dirty look. "You're smart. You figure it out." He shrugged Len off him. "Now get the hell out of my tent." 

 

Barry paced back and forth anxiously. He never should have asked Len for anything. Might as well have screamed, "Hey Snart! Mind passing me the giant sign with 'I'm the prince of Central' written in red on it?!" 

On one hand, the thought of the last piece of his mother staying in the hands of the enemy made him sick. On the other, he was going to get himself killed. 

He jumped when Len entered the tent. Blood drained from his face when he saw the look on Len's. 

He knew. It was certain. If the dark scowl wasn't enough, his silence spoke volumes. 

"Here." Len's tone was cold and dry as he threw the necklace at Barry. He was fuming with rage and didn't want to take it out on the priest, but he couldn't deny that everything had started crumbling when he'd started.. not disliking Barry. 

Barry stayed quiet, waiting for Len to lash out. "Why didn't you tell me you were royalty!", You filthy traitor!" or, worst of all, "You'd promised you wouldn't lie to me!" 

Which, technically, Barry hadn't done. He'd just.. withheld a possibly extremely important part of his identity.. Revealing he was a super hero would have been less nerve wrecking. 

"Please understand that I didn't have a choice." He started cautiously. "I couldn't tell you without putting myself in danger." 

Len stared at him. "What are you talking about?" He was in no mood for mind games. 

Barry looked at him, equally confused. "I'm talking about.. you know.." 

"I don't." Len replied sternly. "Barry, if you have something to say, say it." 

He didn't know. Len didn't know. Barry didn't know if he was relieved or felt even more guilty. 

"What happened?" He asked. If he wasn't the reason for Len's bad mood then what was? 

Len sighed, frustrated, and took his sword out of its holster. He sat on the bed and started cleaning it. It kept his hands from fidgeting. "I don't think you want to know." 

"Well now I do." Barry exclaimed. "Look, if it's something that has to do with me, I think I have the right to know. Is it something I di-"

"Yes!" Len roared. "Everything is going to shit and it's your fault!" 

"What?!" Barry cried. "How is it my fault! I've been sitting pretty here for days now! What could I possibly have done?" 

Len made a disgusted noise and didn't answer, wiping his sword more aggressively than necessary. "Apparently, some people are starting to think I'm not fit to be a leader anymore." 

"And how is that my fault?" 

"Ever since I met you! You and your.. your grand speeches about peace and love. You did this to me! You made me soft!" 

Barry stared at him speechless. Len was blaming him for opening his eyes, for making him question orders instead of following them blindly, for making him a better man. A man the others didn't trust to murder without hesitation anymore. 

"I merely gave you perspective." He replied dryly. "If you want to go back to being a pawn, then be my guest. But don't you dare! Stand in front of me and tell me I should have left you be a villain!" 

"I didn't ask you to change me!" Len cried desperately. "I want to go back! To when things were simple! To when I didn't have to worry about what legacy I would leave behind." 

Barry couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wanted to slap Len so hard his hand would sting for days. He wanted to scream all of his frustration out. He wanted to hug the man in front of him and tell him the truth. 

"Then go back." He whispered. "Go back to killing, go back to war and death." His expression twisted into something pained. "Go back to being a villain. I'm done being the hero that believes in everyone." 

 

"Leo?" The prince turned around and smiled at his lover. The bandage had been changed into a more practical one with a band passing over Ray’s neck, securing his arm to his chest. “There's something I need to tell you." Leo’s smile vanished. He casted a glance at the servants in the room and joined his boyfriend outside. 

"What's wrong?" He asked, trying to hide some of his anxiousness. 

Ray took his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Iris told me about last night." 

Leo pulled his hand back. "I.. I was.. I'm sorry. I panicked." His anxiety tripled. Was Ray mad at him? Was this the end of them? 

"No, no. Don't worry. That's not what I wanted to talk about." He took Leo's hand again. "Although I want you to come talk to me next time so we can figure things out, okay?" 

Leo wanted to nod. But he couldn't promise Ray something he was still figuring out himself. 

"What did you want to talk about?" His throat felt tight and dry. 

Ray took a few seconds to answer and every one of them made Leo's stomach heavier. "Your brother is here." 

Leo blinked a few times. Len was here? Why? Since when? Why would he side against them? ..against him. 

"I wanted to tell you earlier but.." He lifted his bandaged arm. 

Leo felt numb. He had to ask but he dreaded the answer more than the ignorance. "Is he the one who.." He lifted his hand, hating the way it shook, and pointed at the injury. 

"That's not important, Leo-" 

"Answer me." 

Ray sighed and shut his eyes a few second. "Yes, it was him. But it doesn't matter. I'm fine now." 

Leo couldn't believe it. Len was loyal to their country, something they did not share, but would he go as far as hurting Ray? He knew who the general was. They’d met, talked. Leo had been the one to introduce them and had spoken with his brother about his crush. There was no way it had been a mistake. 

A deep feeling of betrayal settled in his gut. 

"Leo, I'm okay. It'll all be okay." Ray comforted, placing his hand on Leo's check and pulling him into a soft kiss. "We're both okay." 

 

Len came back to the tent in the afternoon. He'd needed some time alone to clear his head and set things straight. He owed Barry an apology. 

When he entered the tent, the priest was playing with his necklace, slipping it through his hands and catching it before it landed.

Barry shot him a glance and went back his occupation. Being ignored somehow stung more than if the man had started yelling again. 

Len set himself down opposite to Barry and waited for the priest to acknowledge him. Which took quite a while. 

Barry kept starring at the necklace, his movements getting faster and more frantic until he was just a little too slow and the piece of jewelry escaped his grasp and landed in the sand. "What!" He snapped in frustration. 

Len snatched the necklace from the ground and handed it back to Barry, who nearly ripped it out of his hand, as if the thought of Len touching it was insulting his mother's memory. 

"I was a jerk." He started. 

Barry huffed and swung the chain around his finger, watching the pendant get swirled around. "No, you were a dickhead." 

Len's eyes widened at the insult. He hadn't known Barry was capable of such vile vocabulary. He was pretty sure he'd never once heard him say 'fuck'. 

"Fine. I was a dickhead-" 

"And an asshole." 

"Okay, enough." His fingers closed around Barry's hand, stopping the swinging of the necklace. It was.. distracting. 

To his surprise, Barry didn't punch him in the nose for touching him. He just tensed and took the necklace away with his free hand. 

"Yes, I was a jerk, and a.. dickhead, as you so elegantly put." 

"Don't forget the asshole." Barry mumbled under his breath. 

"For Zeus' grace will you let me finish?" 

Barry rolled his eyes. 

"I'm sorry." He stated, releasing Barry's wrist. "I was unfair to you and never should have spoken the way I did. I apologize.”

Barry's silence forced him to continue. "Being a villain is all I've ever been. This new thing I'm trying.. not killing and thinking for myself.. it's confusing. And.. I hate to admit it, but it's terrifying." 

Barry finally looked at him and Len dreaded his answer. "Say it again." 

Len frowned. "Say what again?" 

Barry raised his eyebrows. "You know what I want to hear." 

The general sighed. "I'm sorry." 

Barry smiled softly and nodded. "I know this is all new to you. Changing one’s perspective on life is challenging and sometimes painful.” His eyes became more serious again. “I forgive you, as I know your confusion. But don’t ever tell me I made a mistake by making you better.” 

Len felt as if a weight had been taken off his chest. Relaxing, he allowed himself to smile. It probably looked horrible because Barry chuckled and his cheeks colored themselves a soft pink. Which, with the deep red of his tunic, came out absolutely adorable. 

Len found himself leaning towards Barry and slightly parting his lips before yanking himself back and forcing himself under control. What the hell was that? 

Barry seemed to notice the quick changes and frowned concerned but didn't ask. Len was exhausted, he realized. Physically and mentally. The man was in desperate need of a nap. 

"I think you should rest." Barry suggested. "You seem awfully tired." 

"Thanks." The general drawled dramatically, a small smirk pulling on his lips. 

"No offense." 

Len shrugged and stood up, brushing the sand off his clothes. "None taken." Maybe he would take that rest. 

 

"So it's decided." Eddie spoke after a minute of silence in the meeting room. 

Joe nodded. "They're still weak from the loss of today's battle. Striking now is the best and safest option." 

No one objected or said anything against. It was a dirty move, with almost no honor. But it was necessary. The plan wouldn't destroy the army, but it would significantly hit the men's moral support and weaken them. Central might just a have a chance of surviving. 

 

Len hadn't meant to doze off. It just happened. The exhaustion had pulled him under in only a few minutes and he'd drifted off before he could resist. 

Barry had watched him disappear off into wonderland and gone back to playing with his necklace. A simple piece of metal shouldn't be this fascinating but it felt like playing along with his mother. And that, he could do for hours. 

The sun was setting outside, making the room darker but still clear enough to see. He heard Len groan in the bed and looked up to see what was going on. The general's body was shifting and twisting on the covers and breathy pants were escaping him. 

Barry put the necklace around his neck, got up and moved to the side of the bed, hesitating to wake the man. Was waking someone from a nightmare dangerous? No, that was sleepwalkers. Or both? 

He set an arm down on the covers to balance himself as he leaned over the general, softly nudging his side. “Len..” 

The general's eyes flew open. With one swift motion Barry was pressed into the mattress. Strong thighs pinning his hips down, one hand gripping his wrist and the other raised into a fist. 

"Len, it's me! It's me! It's Barry!" The priest shouted frantically, struggling in the hold. His legs kicked out uselessly and his free hand clasped around the wrist of the hand holding his prisoner. 

Len's eyes were confused but the moment they fell on Barry, they cleared and the disorientation was replaced with deep concern and a flash of panic. 

"What-" his eyes might be grounded but his voice was very much lost. "Barry, what's going on?" He kept glancing around, his eyes darting to every corner of the room, as if expecting a monster to jump out at any second. It must've been one hell of a nightmare. 

"It's okay. I'm okay." Barry whispered, attempting to calm the man down and managing to free his wrist. "Len, look at me." He cupped the general's face in his palms and forced his eyes to come back to him. "It's all okay." 

He was still very well aware of the position they were in and what it might look like if anyone walked in. He felt himself blush at the dirty thoughts that washed over him. Thoughts he shouldn't be having. He'd swore an oath to Athena, to preserve himself until the day he was too old or changed professions. But thoughts weren't breaking that oath, were they..? Either way, this was not the time. 

Len's breathing calmed and he set his fist down, mumbling broken pieces of an apology. He hadn't moved from over Barry. Which he probably should. But when he looked at the priest, he didn't believe he saw any distress or immediate signs the man wanted him off. 

He dropped to his forearms, his breathing becoming a little deeper. At the first sign of discomfort, this would all stop. His heart was beating in his chest, the same way it would right before a battle. Faster somehow. 

Barry's hands didn't move. Not shoving him away but not pulling him in either. 

The air was hot between them, tension high. Len bit his lower lip to stop from groaning when Barry's eyelids fluttered shut. The man was beautiful like this, beautiful long eyelashes, soft hair, smooth skin, perfect lips..

Len let his eyes roam the priest's body, absorbing the perfection beneath him. His face, his neck, his chest.. the pendant. 

His eyes glanced over the necklace, not paying much attention when his gaze snapped back to it. 

He read aloud without meaning to, the words coming out before he could stop them. 

"For my sweet Barry Allen, my gift from the gods, future prince of Central Island." 

Prince. 

Allen. 

The name sounded familiar and memories came flooding back all too fast. Allen was the name of the royal family that ruled Central before the Wests. 

It was a tragic story. The King had been killed in battle and the queen taken prisoner and eventually murdered as well. Leaving only their son as remaining member of the Allen family. 

Barry had never told him his last name, had never mentioned his parents or his life prior to choosing to live as a priest. 

"You're royalty." 

It wasn't a question. Barry knew it. There was no use in denying it. 

He looked at Len with pleading eyes and tried to speak. "Len.." His voice was stuck in his throat. 

All intimacy had flown out the window. The once passionate, almost sexual position now felt dangerous and intimidating for all the wrong reasons. Barry felt exposed, naked. 

"I'm-" 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Len didn't sound angry. Just hurt. Which was a million times worse. 

"I couldn't.." Barry pleaded. "If you knew, you'd.." He didn't finish his sentence. 

"I'd what?" 

"You'd kill me." 

The words struck Len's heart like a sword of ice. Barry didn't feel safe with him. He would never blame the prince for being cautious around him, but thinking that he’d go as far as murder.. 

"You.. You think I would be capable of killing you?" 

"I don't know!" Barry cried. "At first yes but then.. then no. I.. I didn't want to give you a reason to hate me." His voice broke and he felt a tear of distress roll down the side of his face until it met his hair. 

A million words mixed in Len's head. None of which he could say. “I would never hate you Barry. I.." No. Even mentally the word 'love' was too much. Len had never been permitted love. The emotion was too foreign.. would make him too vulnerable. Len couldn't love anyone. He wasn't meant for it. So he didn’t say anything. 

"I know better than anyone that we don't chose our parents.." He gently stroked his thumb over the tear trail, trying to make it disappear, erasing any passage of Barry’s fear. "I will never judge you for who they were.” 

More tears escaped Barry's eyes. "I don't want you to hate me.." He whimpered, a broken sob leaving his lips. And, oh gods, how Len wanted to claim those lips and lavish the man in soft and tender kisses, make him understand that he'd never feel anything but love for him through actions rather than words. 

"I'll never hate you, Barry." He whispered, placing a gentle kiss on Barry's forehead. 

That was the farthest he would allow himself to go. 

Barry's hands moved from his face to his neck and pulled him into a hug. Well.. tried to. Len was much stronger and the priest just ended up pulling himself up and hanging from the general's neck. Which was also nice and frankly adorable. It was the first hug Len had ever gotten from someone outside of his siblings. Oh, how he wanted to let himself drop down and hug Barry back. 

But that would be too much, too intimate, too soft. 

The sun had set and the room was almost completely dark but neither of the men were in a relaxed enough state of mind to try and sleep. 

 

Which was how they ended up taking a stroll about a hundred yards from the steep hill marking the end of the camp, just enough to be out of ear shot but close enough to still benefit from the light the campfires gave off. 

The sky was clear and a million stars illuminated the night. Barry inhaled deeply, bathing in the fresh moonlight. It was soothing and peaceful, the sound of the sea faintly tinting the background and tickling his nose. 

Len nudged his side. Barry looked at him questioningly when the soldier handed him one of two swords. 

"Show me what you got." Len challenged. The priest smiled and swung the sword at him, missing on purpose and laughing as they danced around one another. It reminded him of the first time they’d met, only.. without the trying to kill one another part. 

The fight went on for some time, and eventually they both started getting sloppy. Barry swung again and pushed Len back with his forearm, catching him off guard and managing to make him fall. 

Len didn't get up immediately and looked up at Barry smirking. He extended his hand and Barry grabbed it, hoping to pull the general up. He yelped when Len pulled him down alongside him and rolled up effortlessly. "That's cheating." He exclaimed. 

Len smirked again and started walking away. Barry couldn't help he way his eyes followed the man's ass until he turned around. He blushed furiously, hoping Len hadn't caught him. 

Len came back and helped him up by taking his hand. They stood under the stars in silence, starring into the other's eyes. Len tenderly stroked Barry's hair behind his ear and the priest's heart fluttered in his chest. It would be so easy to lean in and.. 

A flame shot through the night sky and planted itself at the hill's foot. The two men pulled away from each other and took a few steps back. A second flame joined the first, further down the bottom of the hill. 

"Len? What's going on?" Barry asked nervously. 

The general was about to answer when a thousand burning arrows shot through the night and planted themselves in the sand, creating a tiny wall of fire at the foot of the hill. 

"Run." Len whispered. 

Ginormous balls of hay were pushed over the top of the hill, rolling down in absolute silence, faster and faster. 

"Run!" 

And they did. 

The balls crossed the line of fire and bursted into flaming monsters. Thousands of them. All rolling full speed towards the sleeping camp. 

The alarm sound and hundreds of still half asleep soldiers bursted from the tents. Screams of panic filled the camp and all hell broke loose. 

The tents caught on fire and soon the smell of burnt flesh and toxic smoke was suffocating everyone. 

Len ran head first into the fire. He needed to get Barry to safety. His tent was far enough from the edge of the camp to hopefully not be affected by the mess. 

The smoke burned his eyes and throat, making him cough violently. People were shoving and panicking around him. He couldn't even make it two feet without someone running into him. 

"Come on! We're almost there!" He shouted back to Barry when they finally got out of the crowd. He looked back to try and grab the man's hand. 

It was as if everything had slowed down. The screams were muffled and chaos nearly frozen as Len's eyes widened with horror. 

Barry wasn't behind him. 

Without thinking Len ran back into the flames. 

 

Eddie watched as panic and fear consumed the camp. The hay balls were too big to have a chance of reaching the tents closest to the sea but they would cause immense damage as was. 

He couldn't help but feel guilty. Attacking the enemy in the night and in their camp was a dishonorable move. But they'd started it, hadn't they? This was only payback. 

 

"Barry!!!" Len didn't know if the tears streaming down his face were because of the itchy smoke or the sheer terror he was feeling. Barry has vanished. What if he was hurt? Or had tripped and been trampled? Or.. no. That last possibility Len didn’t even want to think about. Barry wouldn’t.. not after everything. 

Len crossed the entire crisis zone until he reached the first tents again. Just in time to see black silhouettes disappearing behind the hill. His biggest fear became truth. 

Len fell to the his knees and screamed. He couldn't blame the prince for escaping, he'd established that much with himself early on. Plus the chaos going on was the perfect distraction. Who could resist such a temptation? 

The reality sounded like a terrible lie he refused to believe. No. He would've at least said goodbye. He wouldn't have left! Not after.. not after the talks and the tears. But he had to accept it, had to move on and figure out what he was doing. 

Barry was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, poor Len.. What will he do without Barry? 
> 
> Also, they almost kissed! Like three times or something!


	5. Chapter V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len deals with Barry’s absence the best he can.   
> Central suffers a terrible tragedy.   
> Leo’s view of his brother changes permanently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s my birthday! So this is my gift to you all for being so supportive and kind.

The sand felt itchy under his feet, having easily slipped through his sandals to come tickle the skin. Len hadn't noticed it before, but now it was almost unbearable. 

He was angry. He couldn't tell at what or who exactly but he was angry. 

At himself? But he hadn't done anything wrong since yesterday, anything that could have pushed Barry to run. 

At Barry? No. He'd already promised to let him go. He couldn't blame him for leaving. 

At Leo? Yeah. Maybe at Leo. But why now? What had changed? 

He groaned through his teeth. Why was it so easy for others to affect his emotions? Things were so much easier when he followed orders and made everyone believe he did it for them. 

When had everything spiraled so out of control? 

He knew when. But he couldn't blame Barry for it. And he wasn't about to blame himself. So whose fault was it really? 

He was hurt. Hurt and abandoned. And he had no way of letting it out without showing weakness. All these emotions boiling up in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want to be here anymore. 

He wanted to go home to Lisa and hug her, tell her how lucky she was to never have had to kill a man. 

Or lose one. 

That he knew of. Lisa had always been secretive. He wouldn't be surprised if she was hiding a lover under her bed. Or several. 

At least she wasn't hiding one in her tent. 

Wait, what did that have to do with anything? 

God, he was a mess. 

Had he still been here, Barry would've told him that.. 

What would have Barry told him? Len didn't know. The man had always had a way with words that Len envied deeply. 

One thing he knew for sure was that Barry would have hugged him. Or tried to. Either way, he would've offered comfort and guidance. 

But Barry wasn't here, was he. He'd run back to his own at the first chance gotten. Who could blame him.. 

Len did. Len blamed Barry for leaving him the same way Leo had. Without so much as a goodbye. 

He was so angry. 

Angry he'd let himself care for someone after everything in his life had indicated it would be impossible. 

Angry Barry had abandoned him. 

Angry he'd shown such vulnerability. 

Angry that he resented him.. 

Len had no right to throw blame on the prince. This was war and every man for himself. Survival was the most important part of the game. 

But Barry wasn't like that. Barry was selfless, innocent, beautiful and kind. Barry was the light and hope that had started pulling Len out of darkness.. 

..only to let him fall right back in half way through.

What a cruel mind game.. 

Somehow he couldn't help but wonder if it had been planned all along. Getting captured, seducing him, then waiting for the others to create a distraction, and escaping into the night. 

No, it was ridiculous. Barry couldn't have known in whose tent he'd end up. And Central wouldn't send their prince in. 

If Barry was even a prince. 

How much of what Barry had said was a lie? 

"I'll never lie to you. I promise." 

Had that been a lie? 

Len had half hoped to find a trace of Barry when he returned to where they'd spared. A sandal, a piece of his tunic, in the worst case his necklace. Anything to remember him by other than the cold feeling of abandonment that lingered in the fresh morning breeze. 

Smoke was still rising from certain tents. A good hundred were completely destroyed but overall the camp was still standing. Quite a few soldiers had been relocated though. 

Len stood at the top of the hill. Central's impassable wall was visible from here. It felt like a provocation. The thought of Barry behind those walls, safe and surrounded by loved ones should feel comforting but it just felt shallow. 

Could Barry see him from up there? Len was just a little black dot for anyone looking. A little black dot amongst thousands. And who would even spend any time trying to find him in a crowd of tents and soldiers. No. Barry was gone and Len would never see him again. 

The anger returned. At last, finding a victim to spill its wrath over. Lewis. The man who'd started it all. 

Because, no, Leo was not to blame for this war. Leo wasn't to blame for the thousands of life lost at battle. Leo wasn't to blame for Len and Barry crossing paths. 

Lewis was. 

The selfish King had been the cause of everything since the beginning. Leo escaping, the war starting up again, Barry's capture. 

He'd had a hand in it, even if indirectly. 

The rage washed over Len, taking control. This was the end. He refused to be a pawn for anyone but himself. He was done being used. 

 

Eddie looked at the camp from the telescope. Smoke was rising and blowing towards the sea and a few men were still working on the damage. 

"Was it worth it?" Ray asked, squinting at the beach to try and see without the instrument. 

The blond man looked up. "I don't know."  

Had they soiled their honor for nothing?  

Probably. The attack hadn't had the desired effect. Sure it'd caused a lot of damage. But it would all be fixed by afternoon. 

He turned and looked up at the sky. Danger was close. He could feel it. 

"Start getting the troupes ready. We've angered them. They will retaliate soon." 

Ray nodded and walked away. Eddie stood in silence and felt the cool breeze on his back. Central was his home, his city. He'd defend it until the day he died. But he worried about his wife. His beautiful wife.. Iris.

She had been acting differently lately. More distant maybe, which was understandable, what with all the fights going on. 

"Eddie?" 

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Not that Iris was a devil. No, quite the opposite, a real angel. 

Eddie turned and smiled at her. "Iris, how was your sleep?" 

The princess returned the smile but it was strained. "I got what I could. But lately sleep feels like a privilege." 

Eddie nodded and took her hand, softly kissing the knuckles. "Do you worry?" 

"Everyday. But I've found comfort in the others. It feels good to have people to talk with who feel the same way." 

Eddie frowned. "The Rogues' prince? How ironic." 

Iris gave his hand a light squeeze. "You still blame him for the war." To his silence, she continued. "Eddie, we've talked about this. Don't pretend you wouldn't have done the same thing Ray did if it were me.” 

"I don’t. But I would accept the consequences of my actions. I would fight everyday, as I do now. I wouldn't be hiding behind another kingdom's high walls, drinking wine and eating fruits while men died for my happiness." 

"Have you even talked to him? He's far from happy. And you expect him to go out and fight? Eddie, he's not a soldier, didn't even know how to wield a sword before he came here. You speak of men dying and yet you expect him to go on suicide missions. Be reasonable." 

The general tilted his head and lightly cracked his neck to relax. "I just can't stand the situation. We were at peace. For the first time in years. And he messed it all up." 

"Lewis Snart! Messed it all up. Focus your anger on him." 

Eddie sighed. "I will not fight you on this. We have different standing points. Let's just respect the other's and enjoy the time we spend together." 

"Very well." The princess said. "But keep your comments to yourself." She was walking away when her husband spoke up again.

"I need to show you something." 

She sighed but went back to him. "Eddie.. I'm really not in the mood. Please make it quick." 

He led her through the halls until they reached an isolated corridor. 

"What is this?" 

As an answer, Eddie pressed down on a stone and a wall opened, revealing a passage. "This passageway leads to Athena's temple. Not many know about it but if the time comes, I want you to take it." 

"Eddie.." Iris tried to form a sentence through her confusion. "What are you saying?" 

"I'm saying that I can't be certain I'll be coming with you." 

Iris shook her head. "No. No! Don't you dare say that! I won't leave you." 

The general pulled her into a hug. "Iris.. promise me. Promise me you'll leave the city if by the Gods' curse we fail to protect it." 

The princess hugged back, for the first time fearing that she might lose her husband through the battles. 

"I promise." 

 

Len ripped the royal tent's curtain open and stormed in. With a glare he emptied the room, leaving only Lewis, a guard with a death wish, Thawn and Mardon. 

The king threw him an annoyed glance and whispered an order to the two generals who, like the others, disappeared.  

Len watched his father walk back to his chair and sit. 

"This better be important." He said, leaning back. "I was in the middle of something." 

Len felt a wave of hatred for the man. He'd never lost anything but took so much with no regards for others. "I'm done." 

Lewis rolled his eyes again, keeping his disinterested attitude. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm going home." 

That caught Lewis' attention. The king looked up and quickly hid his confusion behind a wall of annoyance. "You go where I tell you, boy." 

Len took a threatening step forward. "I'm not a boy anymore." He growled, his hand slowly sliding towards his sword. 

Lewis adjusted himself in his seat, visibly getting more cautious. 

Len felt stronger than his old man for once. He'd go home and take Lisa to Starling Kingdom. And he'd kill Lewis if he had to. But murdering his father was something he didn't want to think about yet. 

"I'm going home." He repeated, making it clear that Lewis sending someone after him would not change his mind. "You've taken enough lives." 

"We've taken only the beach. The city is yet to fall under my power." 

Len didn't know if he shouted or whispered. He'd never held head to his father like this before, had never dreamed of it. “The soldiers did. You’ve taken nothing.” 

"Oh, you're wrong about that, son." A smile spread on the man's face. "Mardon! Thawn!"

Len drew his sword and turned towards the curtain. He'd promised not to kill, but he was not about to let anyone hold him from freedom. 

But it wasn't the sound of swords being shed or an army running in to stop him that he heard. But sounds of struggle and muffled cries. 

His heart stopped. 

Barry was yanked in by the generals so violently that it ripped another cry of pain from him. His face was untouched by violence but trails of tears were left on his cheeks. Their eyes met and Barry's struggles tripled. With a surge of adrenaline he shoved himself into Mardon, making him fall, and yanked his arms free. He started running but Thawn was quick to react. With a swift motion he seized Barry around the waist and haled him back before he could get far enough. It was as if the prince didn't weigh anything as he was nearly lifted off the floor and trapped against Thawn's chest. 

Len drew his sword out but Lewis was faster. "Guards!" 

More soldiers spilled in and spread out through the room. There were seven, maybe eight, but Len wasn't focusing on that. His eyes were rived on Barry, whose entire body had gone still. With a second look, Len noticed the source of his terror. Thawn was whispering something into the prince's ear, his eyes fixed on Len, taunting him. 

"The prizes of war." Lewis smirked. "Scudder found this one running through the chaos of last night's attack, trying to escape no doubt. I must say, I am disappointed by your lack of professionalism in what concerns keeping prisoners prisoners."

Len held his sword in a tight grip and addressed the soldiers in the tent, most nervous looking. “I have no grudge against any of you. But if you don't let him go, this fight will be your last." 

Thawn whispered something else into Barry's ear the shudder of repulsion that followed was the last straw. It all went by in a few seconds. One of the soldiers moved and Len had him on the ground almost immediately. He raised his sword, ready to end him when Barry's scream held him back. 

"No!” 

Len looked up. The prince wasn't struggling anymore. He was looking at Len, pleading, begging. 

"Don't kill them! Not for me! Don't go back-" Mardon landed a hard punch against Barry's jaw, turning his shouts silent. 

All of Len's muscles locked into place to stop from lunging at the man. But it was Barry's eyes that kept him still. Len could hear the priest without him saying anything. 

Don't go back. 

"The mighty general silenced by a slave boy." Lewis started again, seeing how far he could push. He knew Len wouldn't do anything. “How telling. Now, here's what's going to happen. You're going to do as I say, without any questions or problems, and as long as you do that, your little whore will remain untouched. You go back to the battles and forget anything this one shoved in your head."

Barry didn't react to the insults. It was as if he couldn't hear anything, his eyes still holding Len's gaze captive, attempting to calm his rage. 

Thawn made a noise at the king's promise, clearly having hoped for a different outcome on Barry's fate. 

"You obey me, boy. You fight for your kingdom. You kill for it. And you do so because I tell you to. Are we clear?" 

At the word 'kill' Barry's eyes snapped from Len to the king and back. "Len.." The general looked away. "Len!" 

Thawn's hand covered his mouth but the prince jerked his head away and started trashing, desperate to get his message out before it was too late. "You promised! You promised you wouldn't kill anyone! Len!" 

"Shut your mouth!" 

Mardon hit him again and a few guards shuffled to get the priest out of the tent. It was chaos. A mess of arms and limps struggling to hold the man still while he was dragged out, kicking and shouting. 

Silence fell on the tent again. Len could feel his heart beating in his chest. His planning mind completely frozen. What could he do? There was no way he could protect Leo, Lisa, Barry and his oath at the same time. 

He kicked down his emotions and turned to his father with a murderous glare. “We're clear."

 

Everything was a blur. Len hadn't know auto-pilot could feel so unemotional. It was horrific. He couldn't focus, couldn't stop. His movements were guided by the rage he felt against his father. Men were dying around him, because of him. But what they would do to Barry if he didn't would be so much worse. 

He didn't realize he was in the middle of a circle until it closed behind him. Soldiers cheered around him, pointing towards a Central general.

A duel. 

Len recognized the man. Edward West, husband of Central's princess. He'd crossed paths with the man before, the second day, when he'd tried to kill Ray. 

Len gripped his sword. Images of Barry being violated overwhelmed him. It was horrifying. He couldn’t bear the thought. If he needed to chose between Barry's safety or his promise, the choice was done. 

He was so angry. He charged, hitting the other man's sword with such force he thought he would break it. He wasn't fighting for his life, he was fighting for Barry's. 

He went on and on, never stopping for a break. Eddie was getting tired, slower, trying to pull out of the fight. But Len's rage wouldn't let him. He knew he was slipping, his sword not falling fast enough to counter every hit properly. 

Until he was too slow. 

With a clean swing, Len's sword sliced into his throat. 

Blood poured from the deep gash, soaking the man's neck and running to his armor. 

Len froze. His anger lifted in a blink to reveal the horror he'd just done. 

Eddie fell to his knees, his hands clutching his throat, trying to hold back the blood that wouldn't stop falling, his mouth open, a silent scream of pain falling from his lips. 

Half the crowd exploded into cheers while the other stood silent, watching with horror as one of their leaders collapsed further, hands still clutching his wound. Tears of pain were running down the side of his face. This wasn't how he wanted to die. 

One of Central's soldiers stepped forward. Len first thought, to avenge the general but no. The man knelt down beside his former leader and lifted his sword. Eddie managed to look at him and gave a small nod. He didn't want to go. He wanted to live, have children, grow old with Iris. But prolonging his suffering in a useless attempt at keeping him alive was cruel. The man's sword came down and the pain stopped.

Len felt like throwing up. The looks on him held so much grief, so much pain and regret. The silence turned into anger. Very violent, very motivated anger. 

Central was gaining ground, killing mercilessly and advancing at a dangerously rapid pace, fueled by revenge. Soon enough, the Rogues had to fall back to avoid unrecoverable casualties. 

Len turned back one last time. Hundreds of bodies laid on the ground, some of which he knew, most of which he didn't. 

He got back to his tent and tried to clean the blood off himself. But more seemed to appear every time he though he was clean. There was so much.. His hands were shacking and he slammed them down on the table, making the water bowl ripple, again and again until they were too numb to move. 

What had he done? 

 

Iris' screams went on and on, for what felt like hours, days, infinity. Tears were blocking her vision, streaming down her face and ruining her dress. But she didn't care. Her husband was dead, her Eddie, gone, just like that. 

Two pairs of arms pulled her into a soft hug, hands stroked her hair, but alas, she was inconsolable. 

Leo's eyes drilled into the wall, pained by unshed tears burning to fall. He couldn’t look at anyone. He wanted to dive into the pool in the middle of the throne room and drown.

Ray's head was swimming. His arm was healed but Caitlin had recommended he take a few more days to be sure it didn't get re-injured. How stupid. If he'd been there.. If he hadn't been hurt in the first place.. 

Eddie had been his friend and although they'd had their differences, the General was a good man who hadn't deserved what had happened. 

Caitlin and Linda didn't look at anyone as they held their princess. Both were in too much shock to speak. 

Joe remained silent, not letting his pain be heard by anyone in the room. He needed t be strong for the others. He took a shaky breath and let it out slowly. His son-in-law was gone. Dead. Murdered. 

Were the Gods punishing them for the night before'd attack? 

He was no man to question the higher authorities, but Eddie's life was far too big a cost. 

The stars had risen in the sky. The king went to the balcony and whispered a silent prayer. Eddie would find peace by the Gods. 

 

The ceremony went by in a terrible silence. The deceased's body laid on the bed of wood and two bronze coins were placed over his closed eyes to pay the passer of Hades' kingdom. 

Leo spotted Iris at the front of the front of the small crowd and was about to start toward her when Ray gave a gentle squeeze to his hand and a nearly invisible shake of his head. 

Royalty only. 

The prince looked from his love to the princess and stepped back to his spot. She seemed numb. She'd been there for him when he'd had his moment of panic after nearly losing his loved one. But what she was going through must be so much worse. Leo had already realized that he wouldn't make it if he lost Ray, and now Iris had lost hers. 

After the ceremony, he tried to reach her but every time she saw him approaching she'd turn away and disappear into the crowd. After nearly an hour, he finally caught up to her in the hallway. 

"Iris?" 

This time she didn't run away. Because that would be too rude for royalty. She did, however, glare at him with such hatred that he thought she could burn him without touching him. 

"Go away, Leo." 

"Iris.. I-" 

"I don't want to look at you right now. Please leave." Her voice was a little shaky but her eyes were cold. 

"Let me help you.. The way you helped me." 

Tears flowed down her face. "You can't help me, Leo. You're making it worse. Please leave." She repeated, struggling to stay composed. 

"I don't understand..” He was helpless, confused. 

"You wear the face of his killer!" She shouted, pressing her palms over her eyes to block him out of her vision. "Leo, I can't look at you without seeing him!" 

That was unfair. Eddie's murderer had been revealed but he shouldn't be judged by someone else's actions. 

"Iris.. I didn't-" 

"I know! Okay! I know you're not the one who killed him! You would never kill anyone! But my husband is dead! And right now you're the closest thing to who I can blame! Which isn't fair. I know that. But I need you to understand that I need time away from you." 

Leo nodded slowly and turned away. He walked through the crowd, noticing the few nasty looks he got from people, and made his way back to his room. He needed some time alone. Just like Iris. 

He laid on his bed, staring at the wall, letting his mind go numb. Len had killed Eddie. Of course, he'd been the cause of death of many men, but up until today, none that Leo knew. 

He couldn't help but feel responsible for Eddie's passing. That was how it had always been. He and Len had always been scooped into one. Len would be punished for Leo's mistakes and Leo would be congratulated for Len's accomplishments. What did it matter who was who? Same face, same last name, same father.. What did it matter whose name ended with an ‘n’ and whose ended with an ‘o’. He might as well have been the one who slit Eddie's throat. 

He barely registered the bed dipping behind him until two strong arms wrapped around him and spooned him. Ray held him close, resting his head against his shoulder and not saying a word. More tears slid down the side of Leo's face. He pressed his lips into a fin line to stop any sound from escaping. All his thoughts were a complet mess but one was absolutely certain. 

He hated his brother. 

 

Lewis threw a tantrum. Today's battle was supposed to be a come back from the attack they'd suffered, not a disgraceful failure. They'd lost thousands of men again. The king wouldn't admit it, but he knew the truth. 

They were losing. 

Losing like despicable insects, like weaklings. It shouldn't have gone like that. His son was back in the fields with quite the motivation. So why the hell had they lost? They were not weak! They were not losing! He would make the city bleed all its gold before he went back home. 

Len stood still at the entrance, watching his father rage on like a child. He should leave. Lewis hadn't noticed him yet, too absorbed by his thoughts. 

No. He was here for a reason. And for the next few minutes he would put his honor aside and beg if he had to. No one else could die because of him. 

When his father finally looked at him, Len couldn't help but feel like an infant again, powerless, dependent, with no one else to go to. 

“What!” The king barked. 

"I've come to propose a deal.”

"I am not interested in dealing with a failure." The insult stung but was put aside for the moment. Len took a calming breath and spoke. 

"I will get Leo out." 

Lewis snickered. "You were already doing that." 

"We both know I wasn't. If you reject my offer I will join Central when the time comes. Threaten Lisa all you want, your word means nothing." 

That was a lie. But Len wouldn't let it show. If Lisa was in danger he would send Mick to take her somewhere else, but for now, she couldn't be Lewis' bargaining ship anymore. 

"So. You'll be a good boy if I accept your deal? Stop resisting my orders and spending your days in your tent like a housewife?” 

Len tried not to react and simply nodded. 

"And what is it that you want in exchange for your cooperation?" 

This was it. Everything rested on how Len formulated his next statement. After a moment of silence, the general answered. 

"I want what you took from me back." 

No "I want Barry" or "I want the boy returned". That would be giving importance to what Len wanted and power to Lewis. And the king couldn't think Len wanted anything more than his "property" back. A simple exchange between two men, one of which had been robbed. Not a desperate attempt at saving someone he cared about. 

Lewis rolled his eyes. "Fine. You can have your entertainment back. He was a pain in the ass. Kept blurting out naive stupidities about war and love. Called me quite a few names too.” 

Len nodded. “Sounds like him.” 

Lewis shrugged. “Well, you better get going then. There might not be much of him left if you keep standing there like an imbecile.” 

That stopped Len. What did that mean exactly? 

"What?" His voice sunk a few more degrees. 

"I gave him to the men. They could use a bit of cheering up after today's loss." He answered, already turning back to his business. 

Of course the king couldn’t be trusted with promises, always changing deals and betraying his words. 

Len barely heard the end of the sentence, already out the door at the words "men". He just hopped he wasn't too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter might be a little less entertaining but I guarantee that the next one will be a handful. It will get very dark.


	6. Chapter VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie’s death weighs on Leo, who nearly takes a permanent decision and permanently impacts his relationship with Ray.  
> Barry unleashes emotions he’d been trying to hide for too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. WARNINGS! This chapter goes deeper than anything I’ve ever written before. There is assault, trauma and suicidal toughs in this chapter. Please proceed with caution. 
> 
> Also! 7k words baby! Holy shit! I just couldn’t stop writing! There was so much to explore.

Barry felt like he was going to throw up. His head was pounding furiously from where he'd been hit and he was pretty sure he was bleeding from somewhere on the back of his head. His top lip was cut that was certain, he could tell from the sting that pierced through the numbness of his jaw and mouth. 

He was thrown again, tossed from man to man like a ball of yarn. ‘Stay on your feet.’ That was the most important thing. If he fell he would be defenseless. He could hear cheers and wolf whistles from all around. Comments and recommendations, each more nauseating than the previous one. 

"Pass 'im here!" 

"Bend him over!" 

"Yeah! Come on!" 

It was terrifying. Barry kicked and struggled. They were only playing. The same way a cat did with a mouse, letting it go, then catching it again, over and over and over until it grew bored and ripped it apart before devouring it. 

He couldn't let them get bored. He couldn't think, barely even had the time to look around as he was tossed left and right, pushed, shoved, lifted off his feet or groped by a hand. He was dizzy and tired. 

He could make out the silhouettes of men around him and dark shadows sitting near the surrounding tents, enjoying the show. 

The man currently holding him’s grip on his arm and neck released as he was hurled across the circle of men. His legs gave out in exhaustion and he closed his eyes, expecting to hit the sand and hopefully pass out for the next few hours. 

He had no such luck. 

Firm arms slipped under his shoulders and stopped his fall, pulling him back on his feet. A familiar voice breathed into his ear and his heart nearly exploded. 

"Well, hello again." 

With a surge of adrenaline, Barry gave a violent kick and ripped away from the Thawn's hold. Torn between the need to run and the one to give up, the Prince didn't know what to do. He was trapped, in danger, alone. 

He didn't make it one yard before two other men caught him with embarrassing ease and dragged him back towards Thawn. His legs kicked uselessly at the sand as he trashed in the iron hold, trying to anchor himself down to stay away. 

Everything was too rough. Painful cramps were weighing his limbs and head down. Trying to scream or cry out sent flashes of pain through his mouth. He was forcefully turned to face Thawn, who was grinning like a madman. Barry looked to the passive people sitting around, pleading for help, but it was pointless. Anyone with a moral compass had already vacated the area. It wasn't their problem after all and besides, might as well let those who wanted to have fun. 

Barry dug his heels into the sand and tried to push away as Thawn approached him. 

"Wouldn't want to be you right now.." The man leaned forward until his face was only a few inches from Barry's. "You think this is bad, I wonder how much worse it could get if word was to get out of who you really are.. If there's anything left of you after tonight, that is." A playful smirk pulled at his lips when he saw Barry's eyes fill with fear. 

A mix of saliva and blood was spat in Thawn's face and a roar of laughter and heckles rose around them. The general backed up and wiped it away angrily. Barry held his furious stare, breathing deeply through his nose, no regrets. 

Pain exploded in his body as blood rushed to his cheek. His entire head whipped aside under the force of the slap and tears stung his eyes before falling over the red skin. His knees bucked and he collapsed in the men’s hold, holding back a whine at the aggressive treatment. 

"You think you're so strong." 

Thawn's hand grabbed his jaw before he could pull away and forced the prince to look at him. Anger and violence were all Barry could see in the other man's eyes. He tried to jerk his head free but the grip clamped down and a cry of pain escaped his lips, which only spurred the crowd on. 

"You're nothing." 

Thawn yanked him forward and crashed his lips against the prince's. His tongue darted out, licking over Barry’s closed mouth. 

Barry tried to pull away with everything he had, violently trashing to get free. He couldn't breathe. His chest felt suffocated and his lungs were burning. The grip on his jaw tightened to a nearly unbearable level. Barry wanted to scream. His mouth opened and a strangled breath was all he managed before Thawn's lips were muffling any further screams again. 

The general's tongue slid into his mouth and Barry though he was going to throw up. He bit down without thinking and heard a shout of pain followed by a metallic taste in his mouth. 

He was pretty sure he passed out for the few seconds following the punch that hit his stomach, wouldn't surprise him if he had. He doubled over in pain and heaved violently, fighting back the terrible nausea. 

Thawn smirked down at him and ordered the two men to back away. Once his arms were freed Barry wrapped them around his abdomen, struggling to not lose his balance and fall. His head felt like it was being crushed by a thousand horses. 

He gave up on keeping his balance when the general shoved his foot into his chest and sent him sprawling backwards. He was so tired, in so much pain. He wanted to cry if he wasn’t already doing that. He couldn't tell if his cheeks were wet from tears, sweat, or blood. 

Thawn straddled his waist and slapped Barry's hands away when they came up to push him off. One of his hands sneaked up and griped Barry’s bruised jaw, forcing the prince’s head back and exposing his throat. The men were louder than ever, shouting obscene comments and suggestive names. Barry wished he would go deaf. 

"No.."

It was a whisper, a plea, but Thawn heard it through the crowd’s hysteria. His face shifted into a sympathetic expression. 

"Aww.." His hand trailed over the side of Barry's face, softly caressing the prince's damaged skin before he leaned forward and stared into his eyes, only an inch separating their faces. He smirked again and squeezed Barry’s throat tighter. “Yes." 

The soft red fabric of his tunic ripped effortlessly under the force of his attacker's hands, exposing his chest and stomach. Barry closed his eyes, humiliation burning into his soul and attempting to cover himself with his arms and hide away from all the noise. 

A blood curling scream pierced his ears. Barry first thought it was his own but realized it had belonged to someone else when the weight on his hips disappeared and the crowd turned to silence. Only the sound of contained whimpers of pain could be heard. 

"Is there anyone else?!" 

Barry lazily opened his eyes, feeling too drained to move any other part of his body. He felt a wave of horror at the sight of the severed hand next to him but couldn’t bring himself to react. Thawn was laying a few yards away, clutching his wrist to his chest and trying to stop the bleeding. Barry closed his eyes again. 

"Is there anyone else!!" 

The question was repeated, louder and more furiously, and this time Barry could make out who the voice belonged to. For a few moments all he could feel was his heart beating in his chest and the rolling feeling in his stomach, then two arms slipping under his knees and shoulders and lifting him off the ground. 

Barry let out a shaky breath and wrapped his arms around Len's neck, hiding his face away and letting his tears flow freely. Dignity be damned, there was only so much he could take. 

Len carried the prince in his arms, glaring murderously at anyone they passed. Barry was getting more hysterical, completely falling apart in his arms. He got him back to the tent and gently laid him down on the bed. After the prince was set, he moved away to grab a bassin of water. 

Barry let go of the general’s neck and wrapped his arms around himself instead, trying, in a useless attempt, to fix his ruined tunic and hide his exposed skin, staring furiously at the ground as more tears trickled down his face and mortified sobs escaped his lips. 

"You have immense courage," Len whispered softly, soaking a cloth and bringing it to Barry's face, "fighting the way you did." 

The prince flinched when the wet fabric touched his skin. His hand grabbed Len's wrist and yanked it away from his face as if the thought of the general touching him repulsed him. When his eyes met Len's, they held only anger and pain. The look of innocence and kindness was gone. 

"Fighting back when people attack me." He huffed sarcastically. "A dog has that kind of courage." 

Len didn't know what to answer. He couldn't stand the way Barry was looking at him. Like a monster, a killer, the same way he'd looked at him when they'd first met. 

He brought his hand to Barry's face again but the same response was provoked. Barry hit his arm violently and kept glaring at him. 

"How many did you kill this time?" The question was cold and dry but explosive fury hid behind it. 

Len looked aside and pulled a chair to sit on facing Barry. He didn't regret his decision, would do it a thousand times again if it meant giving Barry’s safety time. 

"Thirty-two." 

A hysterical laugh bubbled up from the prince’s lips. He hid his face in his hands and pulled his knees to his chest. The laughs turned into terrible sobs. Barry cried into his hands, mourning his fallen brothers and releasing the terror and hopelessness he'd felt since being taken. 

"You had no right.." The prince was shaking, every emotion he'd so carefully tried to contain pouring out in sobs and gasps as he tried but failed to compose himself. "You had no right!" Every sentence he started was interrupted by more tears. "You're a monster! A monster! I.. I hate you! I hate you so much!" 

Every broken word cut deep into Len's soul. He felt like he couldn't breathe, powerless as Barry's pain spilled out over him and threatened to drown him. 

Time passed with agonizing slowness. The only sound in the tent were Barry's soft sobs, which eventually died down to silence. 

Len had to tell him. It would be unfair not to, cruel even. But he wasn't sure Barry could handle it. The prince had suffered so much today. Hearing this news could break him beyond repair. 

"Barry.." Len's throat felt painfully tight. He wanted to die, hoped Barry killed him after he finished his sentence. It would hurt less than living with the guilt of his actions and the knowledge that Barry hated him. 

The prince let his hands fall down on the bed. His eyes were red and the bloodshot. 

"Barry, your sister's husband.." He didn't know how to say something like that. "Edward West.." 

Barry froze, staring right through him as his mind went blank. “No..”

"Barry, I was protecting you. If I didn't they were going to-" 

"No." Barry's voice stopped him. "No, no, no! No! NO!" 

Len didn't struggle when Barry lunged at him screaming, knocking him to the ground. Punches and insults rained down on him. All of Barry’s pain. 

"You killed him! You killed him!" Barry kept repeating, over and over. And every time the words sunk deeper, drilling a hole into Len's heart as Barry channeled all his emotions into the hits. 

Len could barely feel the attacks anymore. He was numb all over. He deserved the pain for casting so much of it on the prince. 

Eventually Barry’s fists stopped hitting him, instead balling into the fabric of his clothes. Barry collapsed, drained of all fight and energy he'd had left, and buried his face into Len’s chest, crying out whatever tears he could still find. 

"Eddie.. oh my god.. Eddie.." 

Len squeezed his eyes shut to stop his own tears from falling and wrapped his arms around Barry, holding him tight. His voice cracked when he spoke. 

"I was trying to protect you.. I didn't know my father would do what he did regardless of my obedience.. I couldn't lose you.." 

Barry's body trembled like a leaf as he clutched onto Len tighter, like letting go would mean falling to Hades' kingdom. 

"I don't want to hurt anymore." 

It was barely above a whisper, the shadow of a breath. Len squeezed Barry's frail body closer, answering at the same volume. 

"I won't let anything happen to you ever again." 

Barry sighed. He was exhausted, hungry, and in too much pain to think clearly. He just wanted to sleep for days and wake up in his own bed, pretend this had all been nothing but a terrible nightmare. 

Len held Barry in his arms and slowly starting sitting up. The prince rested his cheek against Len's shoulder, eyes staring at nothing and letting his mind shut off. 

"You're safe now." Len promised, carrying Barry back to the bed and slowly picking up the cloth. The prince's empty gaze broke his heart. 

Shutting down was a normal reaction from such traumatic events and information. 

He cleaned Barry's face, wiping the sand, blood and tears away with gentle motions. He examined the cuts and bruises on the prince's jaw and forehead as well as the wound on the back of his head. 

"There.." He whispered comfortingly. "Is that better?" 

Barry gave an absent nod and traced the cut on his forehead with his hand. 

Len brought a tray of fruits over from the table and set it down on the bed, beside the prince. He hated seeing him so.. vulnerable. 

"I was so scared." Len's attention returned to Barry's words. “When I lost you in the crowd." The prince specified. "It was so.. confusing. I was completely lost." He tilted his head backwards and stared at the ceiling. "And then someone grabbed me from behind.. At first I thought it was you, I couldn't tell with all the smoke." He took a shaky breath. “When I realized it was someone else I thought I was going to die." His eyes watered again. "I.. I kept waiting for you to appear and save me.. I called you, screamed your name, begged the gods for you to come save me." A silent tear rolled down his cheek again as he faced Len, hurt and betrayed. "Why didn't you come for me?" 

The general didn't know what to answer. The possibility that Barry had been taken hadn’t even entered his head. Before he could try and think of words of comfort, Barry continued. 

"And I waited the whole night, for you to magically appear and get me out of there. I waited until morning, couldn't sleep, couldn't even close my eyes. Then Thawn and another man came to get me and.. all I could hope for was that I’d die quickly. But then they brought me to you and I thought it was finally over, that they were giving me back to you, that I would be safe again.” 

Len wanted to take Barry's hand in his, comfort him, help him talk through what had happened. "Barry, you don't have to-" 

"Thawn was right." The prince interrupted him. He sounded angry again, as if recalling the memories brought the emotions he'd felt with them. "He told me I was stupid to think I’d made a difference in you. Along with.. other things." Barry shuddered in disgust. "And he was right." He returned to the present and looked at Len, not with anger anymore, but with pity. "You haven't changed. You're still the same cold hearted bastard that I first met." 

With those words he stood up and went to where he'd been sleeping the past few nights, rejecting the comfort of the bed where the general had been. Len watched him go, stayed silent, and wished he'd been the one to lose the duel. 

 

Leo stared at the distant lights along the beach. They looked like stars. So peaceful, so calm, so pretty. Who could imagine how many monsters they were hiding? Len was in there, somewhere. 

From his balcony he could see out into the city and further onto the desert paths that led to the sea. A view that had been so beautiful during his first few days in Central, now soiled by the horrors he'd witnessed. 

Iris has told him he shouldn’t watch while the battles went on but he couldn’t help himself. He’d never seen war before. And once it was in his mind, he couldn’t stop coming back. There was something so horrifying at seeing so many men die. Looking away would feel like closing his eyes on top many people’s suffering. 

Intrusive thoughts were breaking into his mind, unwelcome, spiraling out of his control the more he tried to stop them. Lewis, Len, Ray, Lisa. 

What if he was just like his brother? 

Wow, that one had snuck up unexpectedly.. 

He'd sworn to never become their father, but Len had always been his hero, his guardian, not a flawless one but.. one that counted. 

Len had always been easily jealous. But also extremely protective. Who was he protecting now? Lisa? How was she feeling, abandoned by her two older brothers? 

He was anxious, lonely. But he shouldn't be. He'd made every choice that had led up to the current situation. He had no one to blame but himself. 

Another thought casually entered his head, making him want to laugh and cry at the same time. 

How could Ray still love him? 

His love had tried to comfort him for hours, putting aside his own grief to help him through his, showering him in affection and soft words, holding him so close to make sure he knew he wasn’t alone. 

Everything would be so much easier for everyone if Leo wasn't around. Eddie had made that clear, Iris was starting to realize it, it would only be a matter of time before Ray did as well and Leo was left by himself. Just as he’d been back in his father’s kingdom. 

The prince's gaze wandered down the city until it stopped on the drop below the balcony. They were high.. A fall from here would certainly kill him.. 

It should've been him instead of Eddie. 

Jumping wouldn't bring the fallen back but it would make things a little more right. So many men had died, it was only fair he be one of them. 

Nervousness clawed at his stomach as he lifted himself over the small stone barrier and sat on the edge, legs dangerously floating above the city. He hated heights. Always had. They were too.. unstable. 

He wasn't going to do it. He knew. But rocking back and forth, just nearly keeping his balance, felt satisfying. The thought of plummeting to his death sent shivers of fear down his spine. 

He didn't have the balls. He wished for justice but the gods wouldn’t give it to him. It was not his place to play divinity and decide who lived and who died. Even on himself. 

He closed his eyes and breathed in, leaning forward again and feeling the hard stone under him. What would it feel like if he crashed into it from above? It would hurt certainly. But what kind of pain would it feel like? A burn, a scratch, cold numbness? 

A drop of rain landed on his hand. The prince opened his eyes and smiled down on it sadly. Another hit his shoulder. And another the back of his neck. 

Again, he leaned forward, holding his entire life on both his hands, still gripping the balcony's edge, the only thing stopping gravity from taking him. 

"LEO!!!" 

The city vanished from his view as two arms wrapped around him and yanked him back with such force he first though he had let go and was falling on the wrong side. 

He landed on his lover, arms strapped to his side from where Ray had grabbed him and pulled him back. The rain was pouring down, hitting the balcony's floor and doing a quick job of soaking them. 

Ray held on tight, too tight. He didn't let go, even as Leo tried to move. He'd left the room for barely ten minutes, just the time to inform the others that they were done for the evening, only to return to the most terrifying thing he could imagine.  

"I wasn't going to jump!" Leo defended hastily. 

"Then what the hell were you doing?!" 

He didn't know. Watching the view? Enjoying the rain? Thinking about life? 

Ray got them up and Leo let himself be walked over to the bed. The general closed the balcony doors, muffling the sound of the rain, and turned to Leo, a deeply concerned expression on his face. 

The prince rolled his eyes and looked away. His defensive mechanism setting in place. "You're worrying for nothing." He drawled. 

"For nothing?! Leo, you just had you feet over the void! I think I have a little to worry about!" Ray was pacing through the room, holding his head in his hands. Leo felt a tug of guilt in his gut. He hated causing such emotions. 

"I wasn't going to jump." He repeated, slower and calmer. 

"No, but you were thinking about it!" Damn Ray for knowing him so well. 

"Maybe! I don't know!" Desperation flared up the room, on both sides. "I wasn't going to. That's all that mattered.” 

Ray sat down beside him and racked his hands over his head. "Leo.." he whined. "Don't do this to me. I already lost Eddie to this war." 

Leo laid back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. "And I lost everything." He whispered, telling himself as much as Ray. "My home, my family, my name. I was so stupid to think we could have a happy ending." 

"But we can! This story isn't finished yet. There's still hope in fixing it. Eddie's loss is tragic but we continue to fight. And no matter the outcome," he stretched out next to the other man and gently pulled his chin in his direction to make their eyes meet, "I'll be by your side." 

Leo gave him a sad smile and pressed his lips to Ray's for a short instant. "How can you love me after everything my family's done?" 

Ray awkwardly pulled him into a soft hug. Their horizontal positioning making it difficult. "I love you, Leo. I always will. I don't care who your father and brother are. You're you. And you're all that matters." 

Leo tried to believe him. Really he did. But a lingering doubt remained in the back of his brain. 

Not trusting his voice to speak, he simply nuzzled closer to Ray and closed his eyes, trying to relax in the soothing hug. 

 

Len didn't move when he woke up, didn't change his breathing pattern or open his eyes. He wasn't sure what was happening but he had a pretty good idea. 

Barry was standing over him, failing his attempt at staying silent. Len could practically hear him trembling. 

After several minutes passed and nothing happened, Len's concern took over his curiosity. He opened his eyes. 

The dagger he'd gifted Barry was being held an inch from his neck by a shaking hand. The prince was staring at him. He held his breath when he saw the general open his eyes. The blade pressed against the skin, threatening to cut down at any moment. 

Len closed his eyes and exhaled. What a funny thing, irony. He'd slit Edward's throat. And now Barry would slit his. 

"Do it." 

Barry pressed down a little more, as if trying to force his body to act. Len looked up at him but Barry wouldn't meet his stare, focusing on the weapon instead. 

"Do it." The words were more insistant now. 

Barry took a shuddering breath and tightened his grip on the dagger's handle. "You'll kill more men if I don't kill you." 

"I'll kill as many as it takes to ensure your safety." 

"Don't do that." Barry's expression turned into something tormented. "Don't put the weight of your actions on me." 

"I'm not." Len whispered. His hand snatched Barry's wrist, making him gasp in surprise. “Do it!" 

Barry flinched and tears of frustration started building in his eyes again. "I can't.." 

The lines of Len's features hardened. "You can. There's nothing easier than killing a man you hate." 

Barry's grip on the knife started faltering, his fingers loosening. "That's just the thing.." He seemed so torn apart by his thoughts and loyalties. "I don't hate you." 

Len held his breath. His hands slid up Barry's sides and softly cupped his face, brushing a tear away with his thumb. 

"I can't hate you." Barry sniffled and turned his head to brush his cheek against Len's palm. "Why can't I hate you..” 

Len didn't know. Maybe they were both broken beyond repair. Maybe they'd found each other and saw something of themselves in the other, a part of them they'd never realized was there. Barry's light, Len's darkness, mixing together in such a screwed up way, such balance and such chaos walking on a line, threatening to drag the other to their side at any moment. 

Barry leaned down and kissed him, still holding the knife but having long forgotten about it. Their lips brushed against each other, softly at first, tenderly, scared the other would vanish if they made a single wrong move. The dagger dropped in the sand. 

Len's hands trailed down Barry's sides and settled on his waist. The prince pressed forward, deepening the kiss. And suddenly pulling back. His eyes stared into Len's, his lips lightly parted. 

Len captured them again, closing his eyes and letting all of his affection pour into the kiss. Barry's hands curled into the front of his shirt, desperately clinging to him, pulling him in deeper, as if they were running out of time. Len chuckled softly at the prince's eagerness and wrapped his arms around Barry's shoulders. 

Darkness surrounded them and only a soft trail of moonlight was falling in on them from above, caressing the two men in an intimate curtain as the night hid everything around them. 

Len's hands trailed down Barry's body to his thigh, where the tunic ended. He stopped there, waiting for either consent or rejection. The prince broke the kiss and looked down. A small nod gave the general his answer. 

Slowly, Len pushed the fabric up. His fingers danced over the skin, trailing up and down. 

With a smooth motion, the general switched their positions, laying Barry on his back, never pinning him down, only laying beside him. 

"Is this okay?" 

Barry had already suffered enough. Len would rather burn his hand off than hurt the prince more. 

Barry took a moment to answer. Len could almost see the wheels spinning in his brain, trying to separate logic and emotion. "It's.. okay." He whispered. 

Len nodded and pressed a kiss to Barry's neck, soft and gentle, as if he was the most fragile thing in the world. The prince hummed and arched his neck, giving Len more room to drive him insane. The general trailed over to Barry's mouth, recapturing the sweet taste of the prince’s lips. 

Len's tongue slipped out and licked over Barry's mouth. The prince parted his lips hesitantly and let the general take control of his mouth. It felt.. strange. Len was gentle and slow, going little by little, always giving him time to adapt and pull back if it was too much. 

The kiss grew more heated and Barry felt a nervous churning in his stomach. Len sensed the change and pulled away. 

"What's wrong?" 

Barry blushed and looked away embarrassed. 

"Hey.." Len cupped Barry's face, placing a soft kiss on his cheek, "Talk to me. Tell me how you feel." 

The prince crossed an arm over his chest and looked aside. "I feel nervous..” He glanced at Len. "This is all so new to me.. I don't know what.." His voice trailed off as he gestured vaguely downwards. "I'm scared of making a fool of myself." 

Len smiled softly. "Oh, Barry." He kissed the priest's shoulder. "We can stop whenever you want. Remember that. Feeling nervous is completely normal. If we're going too fast just tell me and I'll slow down." 

Barry nodded slowly, a timid smile spreading at the corner of his lips. "Okay.." 

Len kissed him again and could feel the difference. Barry was more daring, less shy with his tongue, even if his lack of experience was adorably obviously. Len groaned and nibbled on Barry's lower lip. The prince gave a little gasp in response. 

Barry's hands were roaming over Len's shirt. They slipped under it and traveled over the scars. The general broke the kiss and removed the piece of fabric. Barry's eyes widened and his blush deepened as he got a better look at the damaged tissue and prominent muscles. His hands trailed over Len's abs, which elicited a soft laugh from the general. They clenched under his touch, making the prince blush furiously. 

Len slowly inched the prince's tunic up, revealing more and more skin. He looked at Barry again just before he exposed his most intimate parts, making sure he was still alright. Barry was breathing hard. His hand slid over Len's and guided it up. 

The prince shifted to allow Len to slide the clothing off of him, leaving him bare. The tunic landed on the floor, beside the dagger, to be worried about in the morning. 

The emotions he was feeling were so foreign, so new. Barry resisted the urge to cross his legs to relieve some of the pressure forming down there when Len started murmuring praises and compliments into his ear. 

No one had ever seen him like this, talked to him with that tone, said these things to him. He felt beautiful but so exposed. As naked on the inside as on the outside. 

"Everything okay?" 

Was it? It felt okay. It felt great. Just strange. 

"Go slow." He asked, looking up at his partner. Len's eyes were filled with admiration and respect. The general nodded and placed another comforting kiss on him. And another. And another. 

Barry watched in awe as Len traveled down his body, lavishing him in tender affection. The general went lower and lower until he rested between his legs. 

"Relax." 

Barry was unsure what was happening, a chocked gasp escaping him as Len's mouth wrapped around him. It felt amazing and exciting. 

Holy shit! They were going to have sex! Barry had heard people talk about it but he’d never allowed himself to go too deep into conversations. His oath to Athena was more important. 

"Len.." He thrusted forward and melted into the bed. Len took him down and softly bobbed his head, encouraged by the moans he pulled from Barry. His tongue slid over the prince's shaft, teasing the slit and licking over the length. 

Barry's hands gripped Len's short hair, his legs wrapping around the general's shoulders to pull him closer. 

"Oh my god.. Len.." A burning heat was building up in his stomach, getting hotter and hotter. He tried to stifle back his moans but couldn't stop sharp 'ah!’s from escaping. 

Len pulled off with a lewd pop and crawled back up his body, capturing his lips once again in a passionate kiss. 

"Why did you stop?" Barry hated how begging and desperate his question sounded through their pressed lips. 

Len smiled down on him. "It'll feel better if you wait." 

Barry knew so little about sex. All he could do was trust Len to make him feel good. He looked down at his throbbing cock, amazed at the idea of feeling even more sensations. 

Len took him in hand, making him squirm as he rubbed over the sensitive head. "God, you're beautiful.." The motions weren't fast enough to give any relief, instead forcing Barry to endure the sweet torture, slowing down every time the prince thought the pressure was going to explode. 

"Len!" Barry whined. His hand flew down to either pull the general's off or make him go faster but he stopped himself. Len whispered compliments in his ear as he gently stroked him, keeping him just on the edge of bliss. His arm around Barry held on protectively. It felt grounding. Like nothing could hurt him anymore. All that mattered was now. Just them. Hidden in the near darkness with only his desperate pants and Len's soft kisses between them. 

Speaking of pants.. 

Len unfastened his belt and slipped the remainder of his cloths off. Barry's eyes traveled to his manhood and his mouth shifted into a worried line. 

"Hey.." Len waited until Barry looked up at him again. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. Tell me what you want." 

Barry's hands roamed over his chest. The blush returned as he spoke. "I want you to kiss me.. to touch me. I want you.." Len waited for Barry to finish his sentence, not putting any pressure on the young virgin. 

"I want you inside me." 

Barry’s face burned up as he got the words out. He was disobeying Athena herself. But like Len had said, why should the goddess care what he did with his body. Right now all he wanted was for Len to be close, to feel him, to fill him up until that pressure exploded. 

"Are you sure?" 

Barry nodded frantically. "Very sure." 

"Barry, it's gonna hurt a little." 

Oh.. okay, that was fine. Barry could take a little pain. 

"I trust you." 

Len rolled off and grabbed a bottle from the table. Barry frowned, not following what he was doing. Why had he stopped? Was it not simply just.. popping it in? He had no idea. 

Len sat back down on the bed and settled between Barry's thighs. The prince propped himself up on his elbows and spread his legs, still confused. 

Len popped the cork off the bottle and dipped his index into it. He moved his hand downwards and between Barry's cheeks. 

The prince gasped and let himself fall back, closing his eyes. He recognized the feeling of the liquid on his skin, oil. 

He relaxed more when Len's fingers dragged around his rim and winced when the first digit breached him, pushing deep into his body and pumping slowly. 

Len was careful as he went along, always keeping an eye on Barry's reactions and slowing down every time he thought he'd hurt him. 

He crooked his finger experimentally and Barry's cry of pleasure indicated he'd found his prostate. A sly grin stretched on his face as he brushed against the sensitive spot again. 

"Oh.. oh.. oh!" Barry moaned when a second finger pushed in, stretching alongside the first one. "Len.. I.. mmh.." His skin felt licked by a warm flame. 

"Breathe.." Len soothed, still slowly pushing his fingers in and out of the prince. Barry swallowed air in like a dying man. His gasps were getting sharper and sharper. 

When Len pushed a third finger in, a cry of pain shot out. He immediately retrieved his hand and placed a soft kiss on Barry's thigh in apology. 

"I'm okay.. I'm okay.. Just go a little slower.. please." Barry was breathless, his skin was glowing with a little sweat and his eyes were blown wide with lust. 

He screwed them shut and let his head fall back when Len pushed back in, gently scissoring his fingers. Barry tried his best to keep his mouth closed but muffled whines still managed to get out every time Len touched his prostrate. 

When the general slipped the third finger in, Barry was practically vibrating with pleasure. It was adorable, seeing the prince so out of control and struggling so hard to hold back his anticipation. Len was painfully hard and he could tell from the pre-come leaking out of Barry's cock that he was just as aroused. 

"Are you ready?" 

Barry looked at him with hooded eyes, breathing out an "mmhm..” and shivering lightly. 

Len repositioned himself, moving over Barry's body so their bodies stretched out over the same length. Their erections brushed together and Barry buried his face into the crook of his neck to hold back his whimpers. 

The general reached down and took himself in hand, giving a few lazy strokes to get himself fully hard, and pressed the tip of his cock against Barry's entrance. 

Slowly, he slid in, one inch at a time. Barry's mouth fell open and his eyes screwed shut. A broken noise that resembled a moan was heard. Len pushed in the rest of the way until he bottomed out. 

Barry's breathing sped up as he struggled to fight through the first wave of pain. The sensation was overwhelming. It felt like he was being split open. He felt warm all over. Gibberish spilled from his mouth, followed by worried moans at getting hurt. It felt amazing but the fear of more pain was omnipotent. 

Len seemed to sense his apprehension and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Barry groaned as the general's cock shifted inside him. 

"The burn will fade, I promise. Tell me when you're ready." 

Barry wrapped his arms around Len's shoulders to stop him from pulling away and devoured his mouth. It was messy and such a scene probably would have grossed him out on any other occasion but right now.. right now it was all he wanted. 

He moaned when Len's mouth pushed back on his own, their tongues playing together. Barry was surprised at how much control Len had over the small muscle. He felt he had the grace of an elephant compared to him. 

Barry's entire body caught fire when Len pulled out a few inches and thrusted back inside of him. His back arched up, needing more contact, desperate to get close. 

Pleading moans and incomprehensible words couldn't be stopped from pouring out into the open. Len chuckled at his excitement and laid down on the prince to keep him grounded firmly into the bed. Barry's legs wrapped around the general's waist but couldn't seem to stay there, flailing around as if the prince were being electrocuted. 

"Oh god, oh god, oh god! Len.. please.. Ah! Len!" 

The general started up a rhythm, grinding his hips against Barry's ass. Below him was the most beautiful view he'd ever seen. Barry's eyes were dark with lust, his head rolling from side to side to try and evacuate some of the energy he was feeling coursing through his veins. Beads of sweat were rolling down his face. 

His hands were everywhere. Moving from Len's back, to his ass, to his arms, tracing scars and tugging on his hair. All while still moaning like a wildebeest. 

The general had heard Barry sing, but this.. this was much prettier. He speed up the trusting rhythm and Barry's high pitched cry nearly made him cum. 

Had Barry ever cum before? Probably. He would be surprised is the prince hadn’t snuck off at least once when he was a teenager to satisfy himself. But seeing what little experience he'd had and the way he'd seemed shocked to discover his pleasure zones made it rather obvious that anything beyond masturbation would be completely new. 

And Len planned on making Barry feel these new things in the best way possible. 

He changed their position, sitting up and pulling Barry along with him. He gritted his teeth to push away his orgasm as Barry clenched around him from the shift. He sat Indian style and seated the prince into his lap, each leg on either side of his waist. 

Barry's head fell back. The position made the general’s cock go deeper and in completely different places. His legs wrapped around his lover's waist and his arms held on for dear life as Len bounced him up and down on his cock and sucked at the sensitive skin of his neck. 

They were so close, nearly every inch of their skin touching and rubbing as they moved in perfect harmony. Barry's cock was trapped between their stomachs, the friction driving him mad. 

He came first, a scream ripping out of his throat as cum shot out of his cock and splattered against his stomach, chest and chin. Len tipped them over and fell on the prince, as they'd been previously. He gave a few hard slams and moaned as he followed Barry into a euphoric state. He managed to pull out just in time and shot his load over the prince's stomach. 

He collapsed onto Barry, breathing hard. The mess between them would be taken care of later. For now all that mattered was them. 

After a few minutes he rolled off the bed, untangling his limbs from Barry's and grabbing a wet cloth to clean them up. He wiped Barry down affectionately, making sure to get every drop cleaned up. He grabbed another cloth for the remaining oil between Barry's cheeks, being mindful of the sensitive skin to not cause any discomfort. 

He quickly took care of himself once the prince was clean and crawled back in beside Barry. 

The prince was still panting, eyes staring at nothing as he tried to calm down. His chest was heaving violently with all the emotions he was feeling. He looked up at Len with confusion in his eyes, unsure of what had just happened between them. He should feel happy. He was back to safety. He’d just had sex for the first time. 

But he only felt like crying, all of today's events catching up with him and threatening to drown him in a dark pool. Eddie's death, his assault, the blood from Thawn's severed hand, his broken promise to Athena.. 

He shuddered violently and covered his face with his hands, shame burning him alive. What would Iris think of him spreading his legs for the man who'd killed her husband? 

"Oh god.." He whispered to himself. "What did I do?" Tears came bursting out of his eyes, spilling over his cheeks and blurring his vision. It was shocking he still had some. "What did I do!" 

He'd betrayed his home, his family, his faith, all for the man who'd killed his brother in law. He'd soiled the Allen name, broken so many rules, done so many forbidden things in the past hour that he couldn't even count, dirtied his body, turned himself into a whore. 

Strong arms were gently holding him, cradling the back of his head and the small of his back as he cried, soothing words whispered into his ear. 

He curled his arms against his chest and let himself be pulled into the warm hug, his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold back his sobs. 

Len hugged him softly until he calmed down. Barry breathed in the general's comforting smell, laying his head on his chest and listening to the regular sound of his heartbeat. 

Len softly kissed the top of his head and rested his chin over it, his arms still holding him close. "You are not a whore." 

Barry closed his eyes and pressed his lips together to stop any sounds from being heard again. Had he said that out loud? 

Len looked at the prince and tried not to let his sadness show. It broke his heart to hear Barry thinking so lowly of himself after what they'd just done together. 

No. Barry was not a whore. Barry was a beautiful, amazing, kind, strong man who'd suffered war in another way but who was still standing after everything done to him. 

Barry was incredible, a blessing from the gods, a gift to human kind that most were too greedy to see. Barry was the best thing to have ever happened to him. And Barry deserved better. 

Better than this, better than war, better than Len.. 

Barry deserved safety and more than all the love Len had in him. Barry deserved the moon and the sun and every last star in the sky. 

And Len couldn't give that to him. 

He held Barry close. The prince looked small and lost, hiding against his chest as if it were the last safe place on earth, hiding away from the terrible war going on out there, hiding away from death and violence, in the most ironic place he could have, a killer's arms. 

No, Barry deserved better. 

Len looked up at the ceiling and made his decision. It hurt but it needed to be done. 

It was time for Barry to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my first time writing smut. I’ll try to get better. I’m more into emotions and stuff than physical things. But I gave it a try.  
> I hope this chapter wasn’t too dark. Please tell me what your thoughts were in the comments.


	7. Chapter VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry sorts his thoughts out.   
> Ray’s handel over his life starts slipping.   
> Len tried to juggle his feelings and obligations towards Barry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!!! Been a while hasn’t it? This chapter took really long but school started up again and I’ve been super busy. I’ll try writing as much as possible but my grades are still gonna be my priority.   
> I’m also dealing with a lot of emotional shit and stuff. So I may not always have the energy or motivation to write, but I’m going to finish this story, that’s for sure.

Barry woke up alone. 

His eyes felt heavy and bloated from last night's events and his head hurt terribly. His body felt soar and weighed down by sleep and his injuries. 

What time was it? 

He lazily glanced around through sleepy eyes and rolled over onto his stomach, pulling the blankets more snugly around himself to try and fall back into unconsciousness. They smelled like Len.. He was simultaneously relieved and slightly hurt by the other man's absence. 

Memories of their shared night came rushing back to his mind. Barry buried his face in the pillows and tried push them away. His efforts were unsuccessful and he eventually gave up, instead diving head first into his brain's fresh set of fantasies. 

All the events unveiled behind his eyes. The kisses, the touches, the intimacy between them, how amazing the ending had felt right before he'd had his meltdown.. 

Barry cringed and balled his fists into the sheets. Well that had been embarrassing.. 

He could think a little clearer now but everything still felt like a complete mess. Feeling and thoughts were fusing in every direction, starting a new line every time Barry tried to think one through. 

After a while, the prince gave up on figuring things out immediately and pulled his head out of the pillows, recognizing the fact that he was not going to fall back asleep. 

A plate of fruits and a pitcher of water were laid out on the table. Barry's stomach grumbled as he realized how hungry he was. Len had tried to offer him food last night but Barry couldn't remember if he'd had any. He remembered nausea and vertigo. If he'd eaten anything, he hoped he hadn't thrown it up later on. 

Most of the night was blurry and blocked away by Barry's subconsciously imposed barriers. There had been.. soldiers, and Len, and Eddie.. He could recall what had happened after sex, the emotions, but then nothing. He must've fallen asleep. 

Two things were clear. The way Len had held and kissed him. And the pit in his stomach when he'd learned about Eddie. 

Such a difference in origins was unsettling. Especially when he considered the fact that Len had been the reason for both of them. 

All the other events were just confusing flashes of pain or fear that he didn't feel like exploring right away. Not alone and not here at least. Maybe not ever. 

He sat up on the edge of the bed and winced. He was sore down there, in places he didn't event know he had. He wished Len were here to help him. 

He should hate the general. He'd said it before, but he couldn't stop picturing Len over him, holding him close, comforting him, telling him how beautiful he was.. 

It was more than just physical attraction. They were connected, somehow. Len was different. 

Barry knew he'd changed him. No matter what Thawne had said. He'd made the general a better man, one who wouldn't have killed Eddie unless he had no other choice. 

But Barry had slept with him.. A big mistake. He'd ruined himself for his future wife. Pre marital relations were deeply frowned upon in his society and for a royal to do so.. He was a disgrace to the city. 

But somewhere in the back of his mind, he didn't care. The only person he would think of apologizing to was Athena. What had happened was between himself and the goddess. Central's community may think less of him, but who were they to judge? They'd abandoned him, left him alone to fight for his life. And now they would dare look down on him as if he were worth less? 

Screw them. 

Len had never judged him for anything, teased surely, but always respected his choices, wether it be his faith, his virginity, or his view on war. No matter what Barry had done, Len had always treated him with as much respect as possible, even as his world crumbled around him. 

He'd never struck Barry, never abused him, never made him feel bad for living his life the way he'd wanted. Even though he strongly disagreed with some things. 

If Central wanted to call him a whore, be it. But Barry wouldn't apologize for seeking comfort and the feeling of protection in the only place he could. 

Where was Len anyway? 

The idea of him being out in the field again sent dread to his stomach. Len had promised not to kill anymore, were those words still standing? 

Barry let himself fall back on the bed, stretching out and staring at the ceiling. Everything had been so much simpler before the war. 

He only then noticed the white tunic he was wrapped in. It resembled his old one. Only the color and proportions were different. It was a little too large for his frame, probably having belong to Len or another man. But it was comfortable, light and soft. It went around him like a comforting blanket, a protective shield. 

He didn't remember changing into it thought. Len must have wrapped him up in it after he'd fallen asleep. At least he wasn't naked anymore. 

He pulled his legs up on the bed and laid down again. Emotions were a fricking drain of energy. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander around. 

The sound of footsteps outside caught his attention. They were too heavy to belong to Len, too.. what was the contrary of fluid? His pulse picked up. Barry's hand slowly slid to the floor, blindly searching for the dagger. 

The curtain opened and someone entered the tent. Barry froze, eyes still shut. Maybe if they thought he was asleep they would leave. 

His hand slowly brushed the sand, still searching. The man groaned and wandered further into the tent, getting closer and closer to Barry. 

"I know you ain't asleep, ya know." 

All the tension in Barry's body snapped. His hand snatched the dagger up and threw it full force in the man's direction. 

One thing Barry should've remembered about himself was his terrible aim. The weapon missed by miles and crashed into one of the water pitchers, exploding it and sending shards everywhere. 

Barry scurried away, grabbing whatever he thought could be used as a weapon. Anger flared up in him. This was not happening again. Not ever. 

"I am opposed to murder but I won't stop Len if you come any closer!" 

The man was huge, a real giant. And scary too. Terrible burns covered his arms and the visible part of his chest and a grumpy expression seemed to be permanently anchored into his face. 

The stranger grunted and walked over to the fruit plate, popping a few grapes in his mouth and spitting the seeds out. "Don't worry. Snart's the one who sent me. Make sure no one's messin' with ya while he's gone, ya know? Name's Mick. You're Barry right?" 

The prince didn't answer, still glaring murderously at the newcomer, waiting for him to inevitably attack. 

"Ah, Snart said you'd be uptight. I don't blame ya. Must suck bein' stuck here all day doing nothin'." 

"I am not uptight." Barry bit out. 

"Uptight, pissy, defensive, I don't care what word he used." He gabbled another grape and didn't bother spitting the seeds out this time, instead crushing it between his teeth and swallowing it whole. "Point is, I ain't gonna touch ya. Snart'll take my hand off like he did Thawne." 

Well that was.. good? What was Barry supposed to say, thank you? The vivid memory of the severed hand was still too fresh in his mind. It sent shivers through his body. 

Mick looked at him curiously. "So what's it 'bout you?" 

Barry frowned. "What do you mean?" The question was so broad, it could mean anything. 

"What'cha do to Snart to make 'im all soft and gooey? It's gross." 

"My relationship with Len is none of your business. He is his own person and makes his own decisions. I didn't do anything." He felt a flare of anger and frustration at the question. 

Mick cocked an eyebrow, not bothering to try and understand half of what Barry had just said. "Whatever you say, red." 

The prince made a face. "Red?" 

"Yeah, red." Mick vaguely gestured over his face. "Ya know? 'Cus of the blush thing?" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"You blush. Deep red. Or scarlet as Snart puts it when he talks about ya." 

Barry couldn't help his first reaction, which was to smile. "He talks about me?" 

"When I ask. He ain't been particularly on 'bout sharing what ya do or look like."  

"Well.. What does he say?" Barry shouldn't really care after all. But it was interesting to know what Len thought about him. 

Mick rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I don't know. Ya blush, ya talk, like I said. He doesn't go into details." 

Barry tried to hide his disappointment. He'd been hoping to learn a bit more about Len. But the man seemed to be as open as an ice wall to outsiders. 

"One thin' I can tell you for sure is that you got 'im wrapped around ya little finger. Ain't ever seen 'im so distracted or focused on someone outside of Lisa." 

Lisa? 

A spike of jealousy poked at Barry's chest. Who was she? Was she still around? A lover perhaps? Was Len cheating on her with him?! Wait, why did he even care? 

"Lisa is.." He asked casually, suddenly very not interested in whatever Mick answered. 

"Sister." The man answered inarticulately, mouth full of whatever he'd shoved in there. "Don't worry. He only got eyes on you." 

Barry shrugged nonchalantly but couldn't help the feeling of relief in his shoulders. A few seconds of silence stretched between them before Mick's outrageous words were spoken. 

"So'd you two finally bang?" 

Barry's eyes widened at the rawness of that question. He must've taken too long to answer because Mick seemed to find his answer, smirking smugly. 

"Nice." 

Barry turned away, feeling a mixture of pride and anger. Why was this man giving himself the right to intrude on his personal life? 

"How long are you going to stay here?" He asked, annoyed and impatient to be left alone again. 

"Til Snart gets back. I came in once you were awake so you didn't freak out and try to kill me or somethin." 

"And when will that be?" 

Mick shrugged again. "It's noon. He'll be back before the sun sets." 

Barry hid his disappointment at having to wait so long but another thought was more prominent. "Noon? I slept until now?" 

Mick nodded as if it were obvious. "Yeah. Must've been tired. I don't blame ya. Len's got the reputation of draining his beddies dry. If ya know what I mean." 

Barry plopped down on the bed and closed his eyes, resting for a few seconds. 

"Gotta say," Mick said, starting up a new topic, "you really got some balls." 

Barry rolled his eyes, growing annoyed of Mick's vial vocabulary. "What do you mean?" 

"The way you kicked ass last night. I don't know, I wasn't there, but man!" Mick laughed and shook his head, as if recalling unbelievable events. "You left a few bruises. Passed some guys this morning, some of them got black eyes. And they ain't from the battles." 

Barry felt a beam of pride knowing he'd managed to hurt a few of his attackers. He remembered blind rage at the beginning, then he'd gotten too exhausted and stressed to fight back properly and everything had just gone to hell. 

"Where'd ya learn to fight like that?" 

"The temple." The prince answered. "All the priests and priestesses undergo training during their formation. I was paired with Kendra. She's a great warrior. Some even say she's Athena's daughter, a semi goddess sent down to earth to protect us." 

Mick made a disinterested face. "I though you were all about peace and non-violence. Brain over brawl or some crap." 

"Athena may be the goddess of wisdom, but she is also the goddess of war. She is not to be underestimated. Neither are her servants." 

Mick looked at him as if he'd just grown wings. He seemed genuinely confused. 

"What?" Barry asked, unsure if he should repeat himself or use different words. 

"If you hate war so much," Mick started, "why do you pray to a goddess of it?" 

The prince looked down, answering quietly. "All the gods are to be feared and respected. Athena has protected us from invasions, just like she is now. She is beauty and strength. And she looks over us." 

Mick huffed. "Yeah, Snart said you were the religious type." 

"Do you not believe in the gods's power?" 

"I believe in myself. When we win this war, it won't be thanks to Ares or Zeus, it'll be thanks to the brave men who died in the fields." 

Barry's hands clenched in his tunic, channeling the wave of emotions he suddenly felt into the thin fabric. He mumbled something under his breath, more for himself than for Mick. But the general heard him talk. 

"What was that?" 

"You're not going to win." Barry repeated louder, taken by the need to defend his home's honor. "Athena is stronger than your men." 

Mick huffed. "Athena doesn't give two shits about you or your city. If she did, neither you or us would be here." 

"I think you should leave." Barry said dryly, staying cold to the soldier's provoking statements. 

"Central's gonna burn." Mick mimicked an explosion with his hands and mouthed a 'boom', a wide grin on his face. "And it's gonna be fuckin' beautiful." 

The soldier ducked under the object Barry hurled at him. The prince threw himself at the huge man, uncaring of his clear physical and experimental disadvantage. He would not let a dumb brute talk about his city that way with no consequences. 

He got a few good punches in before Mick's large hand grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground. His legs kicked out blindly as he struggled to pull in a few breaths. The freshly closed gash on the back of his head reopened and an electric shock buzzed through his head. 

Barry's breath hitched and his hands clawed at the man's wrist. There wasn't much pressure on his throat but it felt nearly impossible to breathe. Mick was too close, too big. The air around him felt heavy and suffocated, unbreathable. 

"Take your disgusting hand off me, you empty sack of wine!" He shouted, attempting to throw the man’s weight off him. 

He stared stupidly at Mick's mildly annoyed expression, still kicking his legs out to hit the soldier in the chest. It was pointless, like hitting a stone wall. 

He stopped for a second and kicked his foot out, with as much force as he could, straight into the soldier's groin. Mick's hands flew to the painful injury with a chocked growl of pain. 

Barry scrambled back until he hit the wall behind him. One hand came up to his throat while the other tested the back of his head. The wound had reopened but wasn't bleeding as much as it had the previous night. Thought his fingers did take on the deep red color of his blood. 

He forced every ounce of anger into his voice as he glared at Mick and clenched his fists by his side. 

"Leave." 

Mick looked at him angrily and for a second Barry thought he was going to lunge at him and rip his head off, but the soldier simply stood up straight and stormed out of the tent. 

Barry nearly cried when the man disappeared outside. Out of relief, exhaustion, or fear, he didn't know. A nice mix of all was probably accurate. 

What the hell had happened? This wasn't him. Barry was supposed to be the sweet boy everybody loved to look at and say "Oh, Barry, you're so kind", "You're so nice", "That's very generous of you", "You'd never hurt a fly." 

Was he even the same person as he'd been in Central? He didn't want to hurt people. Because of him, someone had lost a hand, another someone else might not be able to procreate anymore, and Len was in deep crap. 

His heart had always been his best asset. That's what people said. Right now it just felt like a burden. 

Barry was changing, breaking and adapting to the situation, like muscles, becoming stronger with every experience. But he didn't like it, didn't like resenting his own people, didn't like seeing his loyalty start cracking and seeing the grey points of war. He froze as realization dawned on him. 

This.

This was what Len was feeling. Well he could understand why the general had been so angry and confused. 

They were exactly in the same mental state, clinging onto each other to navigate through the crap that this situation had become, a thick fog of thin lines and morals to follow carefully. 

Len had been right. Everything had been so much easier before they'd met. 

 

Ronnie stepped back from the force of the impact with which Ray's sword hit him. He blocked the next hit easily. The point of the game was to hit the opponent's sword and not cause any harm. And technically, Ray wasn't breaking any rules. But damn must he be going through some stuff to be hitting with such strength. 

Who was he kidding? They were all going through stuff. Eddie, the war, the possibility of every day being their last.. He glanced aside to check on Caitlin and Iris, sitting under one of the royal garden's trees. 

One blow made his entire sword vibrate under the impact. He stepped back and lowered his weapon, removing Ray's motive for attack. 

The other general gave him an annoyed expression and nudged his sword. 

Ronnie stared at him perplex. "Is something on your mind? You seem.. distracted." 

"I'm fine." Ray immediately answered, lifting his sword back up to start another round." 

"Really? Fine?" 

"Mhm." Ray's eyes were rived on his sword as he played cutting air with it. 

Ronnie observed carefully. There were rumors running through the castle of there being trouble in paradise for his friend. Now he wasn't a fan of corridor talk but he couldn't deny there might be some truth to the stories. 

"Talk to me, Ray." 

"Nothing to talk about." 

Both men were growing irritated. Ronnie raised his sword and swung at the other man, taunting him. "Your technique says otherwise." 

"Ronnie, if I wanted to talk I would go to someone else. No offense but you and I aren't exactly confidents. Now drop your investigation." 

The blacksmith shrugged and silence held for a few minutes while they continued training. 

"It's about your prince, isn't it?" The annoyed groan Ray used to reply gave him the answer the general would deny. "There are rumors going on, Ray. Something happened last night, nobody knows what, but pretending all is fine will only push the inevitable truth back for so long.” 

"In what kingdom is what happens in the privacy of my chambers any business of yours!” Ray exploded. 

Iris and Caitlin looked up at them at the sudden outburst but quickly lowered their gazes again. It was best to remain outside of men's conflicts. 

"It isn't." Ronnie hissed lowly, bringing the conversation back to a discreet level. "But you're angry. Because of Eddie, because of the war, because of a thousand other things. And when a man is angry he does not think straight." 

The general huffed and rolled his eyes. "I think this is enough training for one day." 

"Ray, when men are angry they make rash decisions." 

A flash of Leo sitting over the edge of the balcony broke into his mind, the sheer terror he'd felt at seeing his love so close to making one of the decisions Ronnie was speaking of. 

"Do not," he focused on his breathing to calm himself down, "speak to me of rash decisions." 

He gave a polite nod of goodbye to the women and walked away trying to mask his anger in annoyance. 

They all thought 'he' was the one who needed help. What stupidities. Ray was juggling his responsibility as a general, lover, and friend all at the same time. And all people could do was look on and criticize. He was doing his best! 

And who were they to tell him how he was feeling! Yes, he was angry! But since when was that an issue. He'd never raised a hand on his close ones. He'd never shown disrespect to the others or blamed them for an action they'd done. 

But damn it, the second he wasn't perfect everyone jumped at his throat. 

He stopped before entering his room and sighed. Was he really doing such a poor job? Was he not giving Leo enough of his time? Was that why last night's incident had happened? 

The door opened just as he was about to pull it himself. Leo nearly ran into him as he was about to exit the room. 

They both jerked back to avoid the collision and stared at each other for a few seconds. 

They'd both changed so much in so little time. But Ray had never doubted his affection for the other man. 

Without a word, Ray walked in. Leo picked up on his silent request and shut the door behind them. He could leave later. 

The room stayed quiet until Leo spoke up, forcing some of the tension away. "You look terrible." It was meant to be a joke, a way to break the ice. But Ray couldn't bring himself to force a laugh. 

"So I've been told." 

Leo's expression shifted from nervousness to deep concern. He didn't speak, didn't have to. Everything he had to say passed through his movement. 

His arms pulled Ray in, held on, refused to let go for even a second. Ray reciprocated the motion after a few seconds of surprise. Gentle at first, then stronger, then nearly crushing. 

"This won't last forever." 

That was all Leo could think to say. He wasn't sure if he meant them or the war, perhaps both. But Ray seemed to choose the positive way to comprehend the statement. 

Through whatever life threw at them next, 

They wouldn't let go. 

 

Len returned to the camp in the early evening. He'd held back on killing, making sure to only injure or knock out his opponents, all while still seeming as aggressive as possible. If another one of the generals went title-tatle-ing back to Lewis, saying that Len was still disobeying, Barry was as good as dead. 

Not that Len would have that problem for much longer.. Barry would be returned home in a couple of hours, safe and sound, far away from his darkness and war's misery. 

Len wasn't sure what he was going to do after that. Go home, keep fighting, escape to Starling? 

His legs felt heavy as he walked back to his tent, dragging his feet through the sand. He was trying to push back his inevitable meeting with Barry. Would he still look at him with hate and disgust? Or worse, fear. 

His thoughts also drifted to Leo. He couldn't make himself forget his next task. At least he would kill two birds with one stone, complete both tasks in one night. Get the pain over with. Rip the bandaid off, so to speak. 

He stopped by Mick's tent to get an update on Barry's condition before he went to see him. What he got was a string of words cussing the prince out and threatening to chop Len’s dick little pieces if he was made to watch over the captive again. 

Len somehow wasn't surprised by the two's relationship. But he would make sure their upcoming meetings were minimal to none. 

Len took a deep breath when he reached his tent. His legs wanted to turn around, take him away from the whole situation. Maybe he should sleep by the sea and take Barry back to the city while he wasn’t awake. 

No, that plan was crazy. Plus, he didn't know of another way behind the walls without knocking on the door and dumping Barry there. Which was too risky. 

Barry would have to guide him into the city himself. As its prince, he must know how a way in. 

 

Barry looked up when he heard someone entering. Adrenaline coursed through him as he prepared to fight off whoever was here to disturb him now. 

But it was Len who pushed the curtain aside and stepped in. His movements were slow and distinctive, like he was trying not to startle a wounded animal. Barry almost felt insulted.

A wave of mixed feelings rolled through his stomach. He was unsure how he should feel. The strongest of the pack was nervousness. And maybe affection. Overall, anxiety. 

"How are you feeling?" Len asked quietly. He tried to maintain eye contact but eventually just let his eyes wonder through the room and stay close to ground. 

"I'm okay." Barry replied easily, offering a little smile. Len didn't see it. "I'm better." 

Len was about to speak when the prince started another statement. 

"Don't apologize." 

The general frowned, eyes still trained on the floor. “I wasn't going to." Kind of a lie.. but Barry didn't need to know that. 

Barry looked a little surprised at that before he caught himself and put on a nonchalant expression. "Oh.” He seemed a little vexed. “Then we're on the same page." 

"Yes, we are." 

The few seconds following that were uncomfortably still. Barry drummed his fingers over his knees, patiently waiting for something to happen. Why was Len being so distant? Well, he knew why. But it wasn't a big deal. Barry was okay now. He'd just.. been dealing with a lot. That was all. Why weren't things normal? 

"Are you mad at me?" 

Len closed his eyes and forced the guilt away. How was he supposed to act? Barry would be gone by dawn. Whatever this was, it couldn't grow any further. 

"I knew it.. You're mad at me." 

Len winced at the painful feeling that ran through his chest. He needed to say something! Anything! His head was going to explode! The pressure building up and up and up until it was boiling through unbearable fog. 

"Look, Len, I'm so s-"

I love you.

That was what Len wanted to say. Those three simple words. He wanted to scream them to the world, let it know how much Barry meant to him, tell the gods, tell the deceased. But the one person he couldn't was sitting opposite to him. 

So that's not what he said. 

"Shut up! Just shut up!" 

Barry flinched at the harsh tone, then crossed his arms over his sides and let his eyes sink to the floor with a resigned expression. Len felt like dumping cold water on himself. 

Barry was here, about to apologize to him. When he had been the reason Barry was suffering in the first place. The prince had nothing to be sorry for. Nothing. 

"Please. Don't speak. I- I can't hear you say another word." 

Barry looked up, determination burned into his gaze. "I’m not letting you punish yourself for this.” 

“Let’s not shift blame over this and just agree that the whole thing has gotten out of control.” 

Barry shook his head. “Last night was complicated. But I want to make sure you don’t think you took advantage of me.” 

The general rolled his eyes, pushing all his emotions behind his usual bored and tight expression. “Last night was a mistake.” He felt horrible for the shocked expression Barry showed. It was like he’d just slapped the younger man. 

“You don’t actually believe that, do you?” Barry sounded hurt. 

“You’re one to talk. I’m not the one who had a breakdown over it.” 

The prince clenched his hands into fists to push the wave of anger away. It took a moment but he managed to speak calmly and not lose control of his emotions. “That’s not fair.” 

Len felt his cool mask slipping away. It was breaking faster than he could rebuild, more and more slip ups showing. “Life’s not fair, Barry. Welcome to the real world.” 

“Screw you.” Barry adverted his gaze, staring furiously at the wall. 

Len struggled to stay still. His skin felt like ants were crawling over it and he just wanted to scream. He hated this, hated himself, but he needed to put some distance between them. Their relationship was never supposed to go this far. 

“Why are you acting like this?” Barry breathed out, clearly fighting to keep his voice from shaking. Len could see his confusion behind the false facade. “This isn’t the man I know.” 

With a final surge of pain, Len managed to force the mask back on. “Barry,” he waited until the man met his stare before continuing. “this is who I am. A murderer, a liar, and I’m only going to hurt you. That’s all.” 

The prince shook his head, a new determination burned into his eyes. “No.” He whispered. “No, you’re wrong.” 

Len took a step back when Barry advanced towards him. Far too soon, his back hit the tent’s wall and Barry crowded into his personal space. He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, his eyes lost deep in Barry’s intense gaze. 

“You’re so very wrong..” 

Len tried to resist but he couldn't. 

Not when Barry's hands delicately framed his face. 

Not when soft lips pressed against his own. 

Not when the prince opened his heart like this and made Len feel like he was worth loving. 

"We can’t..” 

His thoughts drowned away, disappearing in the sweetness of Barry’s mouth against his own. The words died on his lips, stolen away. Barry wasn't letting him go. 

Electricity danced between them like a magnet, pulling them together in a perfect embrace. Barry moved closer, the shy hesitations of the previous night gone and long forgotten. All that mattered was them. 

"Barry.." When Len's hands settled on the prince's waist, he wasn't sure if it was to push him away or pull him closer. 

The kiss turned into something more desperate, more needy. Something terrifying. They were running out of time and they both knew it. 

All too soon it was over. Barry retracted, leaving Len itching for more contact. He craved the prince like a fish craved water. He was suffocated without him. His lips tingled from the kiss. 

Barry was looking at him worriedly, asking silently for Len to share his thoughts. But the general remained silent. His eyes were focused on something in the distance, yet more absent than ever, a deep pit forming in the bottom of his stomach where Barry’s smile would normally send butterflies. 

Barry shifted, trying to figure out what he should do. Had he overstepped? Maybe Len really was mad. Perhaps not at him, but mad nonetheless. 

"Len?" A nervous chuckle left him. "Say something." 

The general's gaze shifted and moved to him. The man seemed absolutely torn, yet colder than Barry had ever seen him. 

"We're going to Central."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to address something that bothered me enormously. And that’s the homophobic stereotype that Barry is a little boy that Len needs to protect at all cost. Barry is a strong ass man who can take care of himself. Len is there to help him. That’s all.   
> I’m sick of people seeing him as a little victim.   
> I know I probably sound like a huge hypocrite because I’ve written scenes where Barry is in danger and Len saves him, and if I make Barry seem weak then I deeply apologize because that’s not at all what I wanted.   
> We all love hurt/comfort, but I want to remind everyone that Barry’s dealing with a lot and can’t ALWAYS be strong. But he’s doing pretty good.   
> Anyway, bottoms are not weak, submissive, or scared puppies.   
> Rant over.


	8. Chapter VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len and Barry return to Central.   
> Ray and Leo run into a familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Been a while hasn’t it? Hope you like this!

Len held his breath, staring deep into Barry's green eyes as the prince's expression changed from surprise to confusion. 

Barry stepped back. His arms lowered to his sides as he looked at Len with a hurt emotion. "What?" 

Len wasn't sure what to do. He hadn't planned this conversation in his mind like he would any other plan. 

"You're going back to Central." He repeated slowly, watching for any reaction Barry would give him. 

The prince seemed genuinely lost, his eyes darted to every side of the room, trying to make sense of the situation. "I don't understand.." 

Len remained where he was, scared that if he moved, Barry would be tipped over the edge. "You have-"

"Is this some sick joke?" Len flinched at the aggressive words. "Some stupid trick you're playing on me? Because you've lied before and I swear, Len, I can't take another-"

Len pulled him forward, wrapping his arms around the younger man's shoulders and cutting off the end of that sentence. Barry stayed still for a second before slowly returning the embrace. 

"I don't understand.. What changed?" 

Len closed his eyes, grateful that Barry couldn't see the terrible remorse on his face. "I should've done this a long time ago." 

Barry squeezed a little more, pressing his cheek against Len's shoulder to share his presence. "You're coming with me, right?" 

Len couldn't speak another lie. His relationship with Barry was so complex, yet so simple, but another lie couldn't be uttered. Not even for what he though was Barry's good. 

"I want to." He finally responded. "Believe me. I want to." 

"I'm not going to abandon you here, let you die in a battle for your father's stupid cause." The prince pulled away from the hug but held Len's hands in his. "It will be hard, but I know I can convince Joe and Cecile to take you into their ranks. Len, you could become a hero, fight for what's right, right your wrongs." 

Len felt his heart crack at the hopeful smile Barry was showing him. The prince truly believed in him, after everything that had happened, every terrible tragedy. Barry was still here, looking him in the eye and telling him he could be better. 

"You have no idea how much I want that." 

But he couldn't. Not with Lisa's life in the balance, not with Eddie's death still so present, not after killing so many of Central's soldiers. 

Barry was an idealist, raised to believe in the greater good, see the best alternative and reach for it, no matter for far or inaccessible. 

Barry was naive. 

The prince reached out, cupping Len's cheek and pulling them together, a sweet kiss to share his happiness. A kiss that shouldn't be happening, a kiss that felt too wrong. 

"We need to get going." 

Barry looked a little surprised by Len's suddenly cold demeanor, but respected his wish and stepped back 

Len folded his arms to stop them from pulling Barry back against his chest. He needed to be strong. A discreet deep breath and he was set. 

"Is there a way into the city?" 

Barry frowned at the question. The answer was yes, but he couldn't tell Len that. But the General was faster and simply nodded at his silence. "I need it to get you back inside." 

"There's a way.. but Athena isn't going to like it." 

 

Here they were, back in the temple, where they'd first met. 

Len stared up at the giant statue. The room was the same as when he'd first entered it, only stripped of its gold and riches. The way Barry had flinched upon noticing what was missing hadn't gone unnoticed. 

Barry groaned behind him. Len glanced at him and felt a wave of guilt. He wouldn't like it either if a place he considered home was violated so brutally. 

"Are you okay?" 

His voice sounded much louder in the echo of the room. Barry's head snapped up, as if he'd just been pulled out of a daze and he quickly nodded, but his jaw was tight and his fists clenched in hidden anger. 

"I'm fine." He clearly wasn't. "Let's just get out of here." 

Barry hesitated when he reached the wall on the statue's right side. He looked back at Len and took a deep breath. "Once we're in the city, we need to go directly to my room. You'll be protected there. No one is allowed in without my permission." 

Len nodded along. "Sounds like a plan." And boy did they need one. 

Barry turned back to the wall and pressed down on a brick. The stones sunk back and moved aside. The prince shuddered and stared at the dark hallway stretching out in front of them. He flinched when Len's hand gently touched his shoulder. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" 

Barry didn't answer. His mind was spinning with various thoughts and anxieties. How would Joe and Cecile react to him? to Len? would he be welcome? 

He looked down at his hand when Len took it in his own, giving a gentle squeeze. He nodded slowly. "I don't know." 

They advanced slowly through the damp hallway, hands intertwined and not letting go. Barry's feet felt cold on the wet stone and he nearly slipped a few times. His mind wasn't present, everything felt dazed and foggy. This was all a dream, he would wake up soon. 

They reached a metal door and Barry stopped. Len was trying his best to hide his concern and fear, but Barry wasn't helping him. He felt immense guilt at what he would have to do when Barry would refuse to cooperate. But it was for the best. 

Barry took a deep breath and reached forward. His hand closed around the handle and he was about to push it open when Len suddenly stopped him. 

"Wait." 

Len bit his lip. What the hell was he doing? His heart ached and his gut felt heavy. His head was almost too full to function properly. 

"Barry.." 

No! He couldn't tell him. The prince was too stubborn. Len would have to drag him there himself. And he wasn't ready to do that. 

Barry was looking at him, same torment in his eyes, same beautiful green. Len knew he shouldn't, but he allowed himself one last moment of weakness. 

He crashed their lips together with such force that Barry was both physically and mentally pushed back against the door. The prince's hands came up to brush through his hair but he grabbed his wrists and pinned them on either sides of the younger man's head. 

Barry's forehead scrunched in worry as he kissed back, surprised by how much passion Len was pouring into the kiss. There was a message the other man was trying to convey through the gesture. He just couldn't understand what it was. 

His fears washed away, melting like ice in the sun, vanishing into nothing. All that mattered was here and now. A warm feeling of affection flowed through his stomach, like a ray of light bathed in honey and roses. He smiled. 

Everything was going to be fine. 

When Len finally pulled away, he clung onto him like a butterfly to life, but the distance was suddenly too wide and only his fingertips were keeping him close to Len. 

The door was opened and out they stepped. The hallway was lit by dancing flames and the temperature contrast sent a shiver down Barry's back. The familiar smell invaded him and all his muscles relaxed in his home. 

Len chuckled beside him, a quiet sound that somehow managed to come off as sad or abandoned. He reached out for Len's hand but the general quickly shoved it in his pocket and evaded his stare. 

Something was off with Len. Maybe suddenly changing sides like this. 

"Come on.. I'll get you to my room until we figure out what to do." 

Len nodded dismissively. "How many guards on patrol?" 

Barry frowned at the strange question and searched his brain for the answer. "Uh.. three per sector. But don't worry! I know their rounds. We won't run into them." 

Len hummed pensively. They walked in silence for a few minutes until Barry suddenly stopped. He peaked over the corner of the hallway and turned back to face Len. 

"There are three guards." He whispered. "We'll have to go around." 

Len held his breath and a little part of him prayed for Barry not to give him the opportunity. But the gods were against him and a chill ran down his spin when Barry turned away from him once more to look back at the guards. 

It was now or never. 

Without allowing himself a second thought, he pulled the piece of cloth out of his pocket and lunged forward. 

The sudden movement caught Barry's attention and the prince jerked around. Len's hand landed over his mouth and nose, forcing Barry's breaths through the drugged tissue. 

The prince let out a muffled scream when his back connected with the wall as he flinched back, trapped between the stone and the general's strong hand. Len followed him, never allowing the cloth to break away from Barry's nose and mouth. 

Barry's hands clawed and yanked at Len's wrist furiously to try and shove him away and the general wished he'd been blinded. The betrayal, confusion and fear in Barry's eyes made his head swim. 

After only a few seconds Barry's eyelids started closing. His trashing got more desperate but held less and less energy, more grotesque as heavy. 

Len shut his eyes as tightly as possible to block out the slurred whine of pain Barry released when he finally took the cloth away. His arms closed around Barry's body in an effort to keep him standing for a few more moments. A stupid and terrible hug that he should not be allowing himself. 

"I'm sorry." 

Barry held on as much as he could, but he could feel his mind slipping away. Len squeezed him a little tighter and slowly started unwrapping their limbs. 

Barry's eyes closed with a final groan and his body went limp against the general's. Len released a shaky breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. 

Slowly, he led Barry down to the floor. His hand brushed against the unconscious prince's cheek before retracting as slowly as it'd approached. His mind drifted as he stared at Barry, trying to burn his picture into his mind, never forget. 

"Hey!" 

His bubble shattered like ice hitting a silver floor. He looked up at the three guards and sighed. He really wasn't in the mood for this. 

They charged at him, swords drawn and ready to attack. Len knew his face was well known among Central. They even had Leo's if their memory ever started getting a little rusty. They knew who he was, so would every person he ran by after these morons sounded the alarm. 

His foot kicked out and sent one of the guards to the floor. His sword hit the second one's and, with a simple swing, disarmed him. He aimed for the jaw and punched. 

The third guard was beside Barry, trying to lift him up but struggling with to balance speed and efficiency. 

The others were getting up, and Len was still looking at the prince. He needed to get away, now. 

Without another glance, he started running. Only one followed, the other two remained near Barry and started working on transporting him somewhere safer. The prince winced and a quiet groan slipped out of his lips when he was lifted. 

 

Leo didn't know what was happening. The alarm had been sounded and guards were rushing through the halls, spreading through the castle and locking their families safe away. 

The prince had been found. No one knew how, why or even when, but quick rumors of him being rushed to the infirmary were spreading through the halls like an open floodgate. There was talk of an intruder as well. The guards seemed to know who, but hadn't spread the information along to the nobles. 

A gesture Leo hadn't particularly appreciated. Ray had left him alone and gone to help the others. Things had become complicated between them, they had changed. Anyone denying it would be called a fool. But watching his whole world run out the door, struggling to get his sword attached to his belt with the amount of stress suddenly dropped on him, that was even worse than knowing things had become colder between them. 

Whatever it was, it must be important, because he'd never seen his lover tense as much as when Ronnie had come and whispered what was going on in his ear. 

"Leo, whatever you do, stay here. Guards will be outside." 

He hadn't had time to protest, Ray was already gone. But now that he was alone, nothing but the muffled orders being shouted outside to keep him company in the solitude of his room, a shiver of fear and anxiety slid down his spine. 

Their room, their sanctuary, the place where it was just the two of them, and nothing else in the world mattered, suddenly didn't feel as safe anymore, like he was back in his father's kingdom, dreading every second leading up to an inevitable hit. 

He hadn't left the bed. Sat up, yes. But leaving it would make him feel too vulnerable, as if setting one bare foot on the floor would cause flames to irruption around him and swallow him whole.

He listened nervously as more chaos ran free on the other side of the door and down the hall. Ray should have returned already. What if something had happened? His heart jumped to his throat as fear clawed its way through his lungs. 

The noise was gone. 

The hall was dead silent. 

Maybe his hearing was muffled. The only thing he could hear was his own heart pounding in his ears. His mouth was dry. He stared at the door, waiting. 

He only realized he'd gotten up when he was halfway to the door. He stopped, eyes stuck on the handle, waiting for it to move, open, for Ray to come back. 

"Hello, brother." 

Leo didn't have time to scream before a hand clasped around his mouth and he was pulled back against a hard armor. His hands flew up and grabbed the forearm, pulling uselessly as every muscle in his body lashed out in an attempt to get away. 

Len was here. 

And Ray wasn't. 

He didn't try to scream through the hand. He knew it would be useless. He willed himself to stop struggling and fight through his panic. Len was his brother. He wouldn't hurt him, right? 

The once rock solid "no" now felt like a shaky "maybe". He'd betrayed his old home, abandoned his siblings to pursue a better life, the one he deserved. But maybe Len didn't see it that way. 

How had he even gotten into the room? 

"Long time no see." 

Leo could hear the hesitance in Len's voice, how badly he was trying to sound tough. It was the voice he used when talking to their father. The one he used to try and convince people he wasn't afraid. 

Len's hand was still on his mouth, lighter than before, only strong enough to make it clear who was in charge. But not enough to hurt him. His own hands were still on his brother's arm, no longer pulling at it or trying to rip it away from him. Neither of them wanted to fight, but both were unsure of the other's intentions. 

"Lisa." 

Leo's eyes widened slightly at the mention of their sister. He glanced aside to try to see his brother but Len was too far behind him. 

"He'll kill her if you don't come with me." 

Leo could feel his brother's pulse through his fingers, a regular thrumming just a shadow too fast for him to be as calm as he wanted to make believe. 

The hand lowered, leaving his mouth free. He could scream, fight, stall. A million possible moves had just opened up in front of him. 

But he couldn't think.

His brother was here. His familiar smell flooding his brain and frying all logic. His emotions were a mess. Fear, anger, happiness, all mixed up and clogging his mind. 

And now Lisa, his baby sister who he'd abandoned. 

Len should be taking care of her, protecting her! Not here, thousands of miles oversea, dragging him back to hell! 

No. Len wouldn't have left Lisa. He would've run back to her the second he suspected something wrong. It was too easy. 

His jaw was numb and heavy but it moved on its own when he answered. 

A million possible moves. 

And yet he chose the most foolish one. 

He stared ahead, lost in his thoughts but seeing them clear as ever. 

"I don't believe you." 

He heard Len groan behind him, the way he always did when he was about to do something he hated. 

"Then I'm sorry. But I don't have time for convincing." 

Alarms blared through his mind just a second before he registered the shock to his temple. He felt his knees buck and saw the wall shift on its side as he started falling, his eyes closing as his vision brusquely darkened and everything faded away in a blur of pain. 

 

Barry's eyes fluttered open. Blinding lights flashed in front of him and forced them to close once again. He felt terribly nauseous and his head was foggy and heavy. 

"Oh thank Athena, he's awake!" 

The voice drilled into his head and he let out a strangled noice while his hands flew up to cover his ears. Everything was too loud, too bright, too much. 

Hands were on him, cradling his face, stroking his arms, pushing him down as he tried to sit up. His nerves were on fire, every touch was unwelcome and itched like a bug bite. 

He jerked away but the contact remained, not matter how much he moved, the hands were still there, getting more insistant as more voices joined in, shouting questions, orders and sentences his brain refused to register. 

He was back at the camp, in the minutes before Len had saved him. People were touching him, forcing him to stay immobile, filling his ears with words he couldn't hear. 

Where was Len? He'd come for him last time. Where was he now? And why were people still touching him? 

"Barry, calm down! Please!" 

Iris. 

His heart was in his throat, beating against the back of his tongue with a foul taste. His eyes opened despite the bright light's assault and only his sister's black pupils appeared beside him. 

He couldn't breathe. The holds on his arms and shoulders were too tight and he could only wait for pain to start, for his clothes to rip, for it to start all over now that his fighter was gone. 

"Where's Len.." 

The princess' forehead scrunched in confusion. Her mouth opened twice before she answered a near silent "what?" 

No. Len wouldn't just leave. Not after everything. There had to be a mistake. 

"Where's Len?" He repeated. Maybe she hadn't understood. Then everything would be cleared. Len was probably nearby. He'd be let in shortly, right? 

"Barry, what-" 

"No, no, no.." His vision was swimming. He was going to throw up. Len couldn't do this. "Let me go! Let me go!" 

The grip on his shoulder tightened when his trashing got nearly hysterical and he cried out in pain as the sharp fingers of the faceless figure dug into his skin. 

"Barry, breathe. It's gonna be okay. You're in shock." 

No. No he wasn't. He needed Len. 

A broken sob ripped out of his throat and warm tears stared flowing down his cheeks. His chest heaved as he struggled to pull in air through the cries that shook his entire being. 

He didn't fight when Iris' arms wrapped around his trembling frame and pulled his head against her chest. He buried his face in her dress and let his tears run freely, like he use to when they were younger and the world got to be too much. 

This couldn't be real. Surely he would wake up and this would all be over. Surely. 

 

Len cursed silently as he struggled through the halls. Leo was much heavier than he'd anticipated, but then again, his brain had somehow expected it to be the same as when they were children. Obviously, he hadn't been carrying his brother around much as adults. 

A few times he had to duck behind a column as guards kept running here and there every now and then. Every step felt slow and Leo's weight was a constant reminder of how terribly he was screwing over the people he loved most. 

Barry was safe now. That much he was sure of. But he couldn't stop the terrible anxiety of leaving him behind like this. 

It shouldn't be like this. They should have been able to run away and be happy. Len shouldn't be trapped by his loyalty to his siblings and Barry to his family. One that had abandoned him and left him in their clutches to be abused and hurt over and over again. They didn't deserve him. And neither did he. 

"Let him go." 

He stopped. He was in no mood for conversation, debate or anything similar. He just wanted to get out of here. Barry spat on violence and killing, but unlucky for the man behind them, Barry wasn't here. 

He easily set Leo against the closest column and turned to face the newcomer, drawing his sword and letting his body go into fight mode. It was unfair to the man, but right now all he needed was a outlet. 

His rage only tripled when he discovered Ray to be the last thing between him and his brother. A cruel smirk pulled at his lips as he stepped towards the other man. 

"Last time we fought didn't go too well for you. Are you sure you want to challenge me again?" 

Ray's eyes narrowed and his response came in a tense line. "I'd challenge every last god of the Olympus before I'd let you take him back to hell." 

Len rolled his eyes and released a long sigh. "As you wish." 

His sword collided with the other general's with a vibrating shock. Ray ducked under the next hit and swung his sword at Len's abdomen. The halls echoed with the sounds of metal and angry groans. 

How long had they been fighting? It felt like hours but couldn't have been more than minutes. 

Upsetting red marks were showing where they hadn't been fast enough to block an attack and the torches' light made their skin shin with sweat. 

Len crashed his sword into Ray's to stop a hit from getting his head and landed a hard punch to the other man's jaw. 

Ray staggered back, taking a few seconds to reorient himself, but Len didn't let a single moment go to waste. He grabbed Ray's wrist and with an easy twist forced the sword out of his hand. It hit the ground. Within the time it took to blink he raised his sword to Ray's throat and forced the both of them a few feet back. Ray's back collided with the stone column behind him and a sharp gasp was forced out of his lungs. Len held him there, forcing every inch of his skin to shrink back in an attempt to put space between his throat and the deadly blade. 

Len observed calmly. Ray was panting hard and beads of sweat had collected on his neck and the sides of his face. 

"I'm gonna kill y- Ah!" 

Len mimicked the motion of pressing the sword forward and held back a grin as Ray's threat cut off and his eyes squeezed shut under stress and rage. 

"Not if I kill you first." 

Ray's eyes flew open and Len raised the sword, ready to deliver the final blow when a scream of terror froze his hand. 

"NO!" 

All eyes turned to Leo, clumsily pushing himself up, still too disoriented to properly stand, but trying with every ounce of will in his body to move towards the two fighters. 

Len winced painfully. "Look away, Leo." 

The prince lost his balance just as he managed to stand on his feet and fell to his knees. Ray tried to speak but Len's sword served as a reminder to stay silent. 

"Len.." Leo was shaking like a leaf, his voice following along with the rest. Sadness and desperation were mixed in with the words and Len felt an unbearable pressure crushing his chest. "I'll go with you.. I'll go back! Just please.. please I'm begging you! Just let him go.” 

Ray’s eyes darted between the twins, shaking his head in disbelief. “No. No, Leo, stop! You can’t-” Len gave him a warning glare but he ignored it, too desperate to get his message out before it was too late. “I won’t let you go back! Not for me!” 

Leo managed to get to his feet, staggering over but stopping a few feet away and staring at his brother desperately. “Let me say goodbye.” 

Len tore himself from his melancholy and shifted aside, keeping his sword raised. Ray’s eyes darted between the two for a few moments before setting all their attention on Leo. 

“Don’t do this.” He didn’t know if he was threatening or begging, it didn’t matter, he only had a few words to make Leo save himself. “Leo, run. I’ll be fine, I-” 

“Please!” Leo shouted. His voice echoed through the halls. Ray flinched back at the sudden outburst and went quiet. 

“Please.” Leo repeated, calmly this time, cold. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.” 

“Leo.. no.” Something in Ray’s voice broke, realization crashing down. “No..” 

“I-” Leo chocked on his words, struggling to get the sentence out of his tight throat. “I need to do this, Ray. We both knew this was going to happen eventually.” 

Ray squeezed his eyes shut, clenched fists digging nails into his palms until almost piercing the skin. 

“I can’t tell you how much joy you’ve brought me. Every second with you was a blessing from the gods. You gave me a second chance at life, to start over, to be better, and for that I’ll forever be grateful.” 

Len remained mute while his brother poured his heart out, not daring to break the tragic goodbye. 

“I love you.” Leo whispered. 

Ray let out a shaky breath and rose his eyes to the ceiling, holding back his tears as he murmured with the weight of a broken heart. “I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is slowly coming to an end. They’ll be two or three chapters (maybe one really long one) and then it’ll be over! I’m looking forward to writing this adventure’s end. 
> 
> Please leave a kudos and comment telling me what you’d like to see happen and if you have any oneshots you’d like me to write.

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t hesitate to leave your comments and thoughts down below! They give me motivation and energy to write!
> 
> Please leave kudos if you enjoyed this story
> 
> I love you all


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